System and method for collecting, organizing, and presenting date-oriented medical information

ABSTRACT

A method and computer program collects hospital patient and administrative information and presents the information to a user via an interactive user interface ( 34 ) that includes a plurality of activity windows. The activity windows list patients according to admission to a hospital department ( 36 ), scheduled surgical procedures ( 38 ), scheduled clinical appointments ( 40 ), rounds ( 44 ), consults ( 46 ), and scheduled catheterization conference ( 48 ). A daily schedule activity window ( 42 ) lists presents the user&#39;s schedule for a given day, and a personal notes activity window ( 50 ) presents notes previously submitted by the user. The patient lists can be presented according to service, team, or attending physician. The user can drill down to acquire more detailed information by selecting a patient from a list and requesting the information.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a nonprovisional patent application andclaims priority benefit, with regard to all common subject matter, ofearlier-filed U.S. provisional patent application titled “SYSTEM ANDMETHOD OF COLLECTING, ORGANIZING, AND ANALYZING MEDICAL INFORMATION”,Ser. No. 60/694,160, filed Jun. 27, 2005. The identified earlier-filedapplication is hereby incorporated by reference into the presentapplication.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of computer-assistedcollection, organization, and presentation of medical information. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to a method and computer program forcollecting patient and administrative information from a plurality ofsources and presenting the information according to various user-definedparameters.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Doctors, nurses, and other care givers often work with a large number ofpatients and collect a significant amount of medical informationrelating to each patient. Such medical information may include, forexample, laboratory test results, surgical procedure data, physician'snotes, and medical images.

Computer programs and systems have been developed to assist in thecollection and storage of patient medical information. For example,hospital information systems (HIS) are currently used by hospitals tostore and retrieve information relating to the administrative andclinical aspects of the hospital's services. Furthermore, laboratoryinformation systems and a hospital imaging systems assist caregivers inthe management of laboratory data and medical images, respectively.

Prior art systems of managing medical information enable caregivers tostore and retrieve information relating to a particular patient.Unfortunately, however, these systems suffer from various problems andlimitations. For example, users must access two or more differentsystems to obtain the information created by each system, and arelimited to retrieving and viewing information relating to a singlepatient at a time.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and method ofcollecting, organizing, and presenting patient information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the above-described problems and provides adistinct advance in the art of medical information systems. Moreparticularly, the present invention involves a method and computerprogram for collecting patient information, scheduling information, andother information from a plurality of sources and presenting theinformation according to various user-defined parameters.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the computer programruns on a standard personal computer (PC) or similar device, andcomprises an inpatients code segment for presenting a list of patientswho are currently receiving services from a health provider facility, aprocedures code segment for presenting a list of patients who have hador will have a medical procedure performed on a first user-designateddate, and a clinics code segment for presenting a list of patients whohave had or will have a non-surgical appointment on the firstuser-designated date. Furthermore, a patient overview code segmentretrieves and presents patient overview information relating to aparticular patient when a user selects the patient from any one of thelists of patients and requests the overview information.

In a second embodiment, the inpatients code segment creates aninpatients user interface window that presents a list of patients whoare currently admitted to the hospital and assigned to a particularhospital department, and automatically adds patients to the list who areadmitted to the department and automatically removes patients from thelist who are discharged from the department. The procedures code segmentcreates a procedures user interface window that presents a list ofpatients within the department who have had or will have a surgicalprocedure performed on a first user-designated date, and retrieves andpresents detailed information about a particular procedure of aparticular patient when the user selects the procedure. The clinics codesegment creates a clinics user interface window that presents a list ofpatients within the department who have had or will have a non-surgicalappointment on the first user-designated date.

The program of the second embodiment further comprises a rounds codesegment and a consults code segment. The rounds code segment creates arounds user interface window that presents a list of patients who areincluded in the rounds of a particular medical team or particulardoctor, and automatically adds patients to the list upon being assignedto the team or doctor and automatically removing patients from the listupon being removed by a member of the team or the doctor and upon beingdischarged from the hospital. The consults code segment creates aconsults user interface window that presents a list of patients withwhom the user or the user's team is associated only as a consultingphysician or team, and for enabling the user to add patients to the listand remove patients from the list.

In a third embodiment, various code segments create user interfacewindows for presenting hospital patient and administrative information,wherein the windows are presented simultaneously for quick review. Theinpatients code segment creates an inpatients user interface window thatpresents a list of patients who are currently admitted to the hospitaland assigned to a particular hospital department, and for automaticallyadding patients to the list who are admitted to the department andautomatically removing patients from the list who are discharged fromthe department. The procedures code segment creates a procedures userinterface window that presents a list of patients within the departmentwho have had or will have a surgical procedure performed on a firstuser-designated date, and for retrieving and presenting detailedinformation about a particular procedure of a particular patient whenthe user selects the procedure.

The clinics code segment creates a clinics user interface window thatpresents a list of patients within the department who have had or willhave a non-surgical appointment on the first user-designated date. Therounds code segment creates a rounds user interface window that presentsa list of patients who are included in the rounds of a particularmedical team or particular doctor, automatically adds patients to thelist upon being assigned to the team or doctor, and automaticallyremoves patients from the list upon being removed by a member of theteam or the doctor and upon being discharged from the hospital.

The consults code segment creates a consults user interface window thatpresents a list of patients with whom the user or the user's team isassociated only as a consulting physician or team, and for enabling theuser to add patients to the list and remove patients from the list. Thecatheterization conference code segment creates a catheterization userinterface window that presents a list of patients who are scheduled tobe presented for a catheterization conference on a second user-selecteddate.

In the third embodiment, the program further includes a date-selectioncode segment and a patient clinical information code segment. Thedate-selection code segment generates a first interactive user interfacetool for enabling the user to choose the first user-selected date, andgenerates a second interactive user interface tool for enabling the userto choose the second user-selected date. The patient clinicalinformation code segment retrieves and presents a particular patient'sclinical information when the user selects the patient from any of thelists and requests the clinical information, wherein the clinicalinformation includes information about the patient's current inpatientvisit.

These and other important aspects of the present invention are describedmore fully in the detailed description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detailbelow with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an exemplary computer network forimplementing the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the interconnection between a computer ofthe network of FIG. 1 and various databases and systems of the network;

FIG. 3 is a top-level user interface associated with a department viewof the present invention presenting a plurality of activity windows;

FIG. 4 is the user interface of FIG. 3 illustrated with context menusthat are associated with various of the activity windows;

FIG. 5 is a procedure form presented when the user selects a viewprocedure menu item of a context menu associated with a proceduresactivity window;

FIG. 6 is an add patient form presented when the user selects an addpatient to rounds menu item of a context menu associated with a roundsactivity window;

FIG. 7 is an add notes form presented when the user selects an add/editround notes menu item of the context menu associated with the roundsactivity window;

FIG. 8 is an add rounds miscellaneous form presented when the userselects an add/edit round miscellaneous menu item of the context menuassociated with the rounds activity window;

FIG. 9 is a rounds report created when the user selects a create roundsreport menu item of the context menu associated with the rounds activitywindow;

FIG. 10 is a filter by form presented when the user selects a filter bymenu item from any of the activity windows of the interface of FIG. 3;

FIG. 11 is a top-level user interface associated with a patient view ofthe present invention and illustrating a medical history tab of theinterface;

FIG. 12 is the user interface of FIG. 11 illustrated with context menusthat are associated with various information windows of the userinterface;

FIG. 13 is a new-appointment form presented by the computer when theuser selects an “add new appointment and surgery” menu item from acontext menu associated with a scheduled visits information window ofthe interface of FIG. 3;

FIG. 14 is an exemplary heart lab tab of the user interface of FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is an echocardiogram web interface presented as part of theheart lab tab of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is an exemplary radiology tab of the user interface of FIG. 11;

FIG. 17 is an exemplary radiology web interface presented as part of theradiology tab of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is an exemplary demographics tab of the user interface of FIG.11;

FIG. 19 is an exemplary studies tab of the user interface of FIG. 11;

FIG. 20 is an exemplary top-level user interface associated with a visitview of the present invention and illustrating an operative tab of theinterface;

FIG. 21 is the interface of FIG. 20 illustrating another aspect of theoperative tab;

FIG. 22 is the interface of FIG. 20 illustrating a blood gases elementof a post-operative tab of the interface;

FIG. 23 is an exemplary table of laboratory test results that may bepresented in the blood gases element of the post-operative tab of FIG.22;

FIG. 24 is the interface of FIG. 22, illustrating a hematology elementof the post-operative tab;

FIG. 25 is a table of exemplary laboratory test results that may bepresented in the hematology element of the post-operative tab of FIG.24;

FIG. 26 is the interface of FIG. 22 illustrating a coagulation elementof the post-operative tab;

FIG. 27 is a table of exemplary laboratory test results that may bepresented in the coagulation element of the post-operative tab of FIG.26;

FIG. 28 is the interface of FIG. 22 illustrating a chemistry element ofthe post-operative tab;

FIG. 29 is a table of exemplary laboratory test results that may bepresented in the chemistry element of the post-operative tab of FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is the interface of FIG. 22 illustrating an endocrinologyelement of the post-operative tab;

FIG. 31 is the interface of FIG. 22 illustrating a liver profile elementof the post-operative tab;

FIG. 32 is a table of exemplary laboratory test results that may bepresented in the liver profile element of the post-operative tab of FIG.31;

FIG. 33 is the interface of FIG. 22 illustrating a urinalysis element ofthe post-operative tab;

FIG. 34 is a table of exemplary laboratory test results that may bepresented in the urinalysis element of the post-operative tab of FIG.33;

FIG. 35 is the interface of FIG. 22 illustrating an “other tests”element of the post-operative tab;

FIG. 36 is the interface of FIG. 22 illustrating an “ins & outs” elementof the post-operative tab of the interface;

FIG. 37 is a table of exemplary laboratory test results that may bepresented in the ins & outs element of the post-operative tab of FIG.36;

FIG. 38 is an exemplary data entry form for submitting intake and outputinformation associated with the ins & outs element of FIG. 36;

FIG. 39 is the interface of FIG. 22 illustrating an events element ofthe post-operative tab;

FIG. 40 is an exemplary data entry form for submitting event informationassociated with the events element of FIG. 39;

FIG. 41 is the interface of FIG. 22 illustrating a vital signs elementof the post-operative tab;

FIG. 42 is an exemplary data entry form for submitting ventilatoryinformation associated with the vital signs element of FIG. 41;

FIG. 43 is an exemplary data entry form for submitting patient weightinformation associated with the vital signs element of FIG. 41;

FIG. 44 is an exemplary data entry form for submitting patient bodytemperature information associated with the vital signs element of FIG.41;

FIG. 45 is the interface of FIG. 20 illustrating a reports tab of theuser interface;

FIG. 46 is the interface of FIG. 45 illustrating a report generated bythe program and presented via the reports tab;

FIG. 47 is an exemplary top-level user interface associated with aresearch view of the present invention and illustrating a study setuptab of the interface;

FIG. 48 is the interface of FIG. 47 illustrating a members tab of theinterface;

FIG. 49 is an exemplary data entry form for selecting a member to add toa list of study members of the members tab of FIG. 47;

FIG. 50 is the interface of FIG. 47 illustrating a patients tab of theinterface;

FIG. 51 is an exemplary data entry form for submitting patientenrollment date information associated with the patients tab of FIG. 50;

FIG. 52 is an exemplary form that presents identification informationabout patients participating in a study associated with the interface ofFIG. 47;

FIG. 53 is the interface of FIG. 47 illustrating a comments tab of theinterface;

FIG. 54 is an exemplary form for submitting comment informationassociated with the comments tab of FIG. 53;

FIG. 55 is the interface of FIG. 47 illustrating a parameters tab of theinterface;

FIG. 56 is the interface of FIG. 3 illustrating various menus of ainterface toolbar;

FIG. 57 is an exemplary patient search form invoked via the toolbar ofFIG. 56;

FIG. 58 is an exemplary patient studies form invoked via the toolbar ofFIG. 56, wherein the form presents a list of patient studies;

FIG. 59 is the hematology element of FIG. 24 illustrating a laboratoryresults chart that simultaneously presents event indicators andlaboratory result graphs;

FIG. 60 is an exemplary form for submitting event information associatedwith the chart of FIG. 59;

FIG. 61 is an exemplary chart with a normal range indicator;

FIG. 62 is an exemplary form for submitting test type and lab valueinformation associated with the chart of FIG. 61;

FIG. 63 is a table of exemplary lab tests and lab test types associatedwith the form of FIG. 62;

FIG. 64 is an exemplary run chart illustrating various laboratory testresults plotted before normalization;

FIG. 65 is the run chart of FIG. 64 illustrating the laboratory testresults plotted after normalization;

FIG. 66 is an exemplary form for submitting test type and lab valueinformation associated with the chart of FIG. 65; and

FIG. 67 is an exemplary form for submitting time period informationassociated with data retrieval functions of the program.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a system and method of collecting,organizing, and presenting patients' medical information. The method ofthe present invention is especially well-suited for implementation on acomputer or computer network, such as the computer 10 illustrated inFIG. 1 that includes a keyboard 12, a processor console 14, a display16, and one or more peripheral devices 18, such as a scanner or printer.The computer 10 may be a part of a computer network, such as thecomputer network 20 that includes one or more client computers 10,22 andone or more server computers 24,26 and interconnected via acommunications system 28. The present invention may also be implemented,in whole or in part, on a wireless communications system including, forexample, a network-based wireless transmitter 30 and one or morewireless receiving devices, such as a hand-held computing device 32 withwireless communication capabilities. The present invention will thus begenerally described herein as a computer program. It will beappreciated, however, that the principles of the present invention areuseful independently of a particular implementation, and that one ormore of the steps described herein may be implemented without theassistance of a computing device.

The present invention can be implemented in hardware, software,firmware, or a combination thereof. In a preferred embodiment, however,the invention is implemented with a computer program. The computerprogram and equipment described herein are merely examples of a programand equipment that may be used to implement the present invention andmay be replaced with other software and computer equipment withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention.

The computer program of the present invention is stored in or on acomputer-readable medium residing on or accessible by a host computerfor instructing the host computer to implement the method of the presentinvention as described herein. The host computer may be a servercomputer, such as server computer 24, or a network client computer, suchas computer 10. The computer program preferably comprises an orderedlisting of executable instructions for implementing logical functions inthe host computer and other computing devices coupled with the hostcomputer. The computer program can be embodied in any computer-readablemedium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system,processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch theinstructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice, and execute the instructions.

The ordered listing of executable instructions comprising the computerprogram of the present invention will hereinafter be referred to simplyas “the program” or “the computer program.” It will be understood bythose skilled in the art that the program may comprise a single list ofexecutable instructions or two or more separate lists, and may be storedon a single computer-readable medium or multiple distinct media. Theprogram will also be described as comprising various “code segments,”which may include one or more lists, or portions of lists, of executableinstructions. Code segments may include overlapping lists of executableinstructions-that is, a first code segment may include instruction listsA and B, and a second code segment may include instruction lists B andC.

In the context of this application, a “computer-readable medium” can beany means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transportthe program for use by or in connection with the instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device. The computer-readable medium can be, forexample, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semi-conductor system, apparatus, device,or propagation medium. More specific, although not inclusive, examplesof the computer-readable medium would include the following: anelectrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computerdiskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), anerasable, programmable, read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), anoptical fiber, and a portable compact disk read-only memory (CDROM). Thecomputer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable mediumupon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronicallycaptured, via for instance, optical scanning of the paper or othermedium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitablemanner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

Referring to FIG. 2, the program is operable to communicate with variouspre-existing, computer-based hospital information and imaging systems torequest and receive patient-related and other medical and researchinformation and present the information on the host computer as a singlepoint of information access. The computer 10 may communicate, forexample, with a hospital information system (HIS) 20 a; a radiologyimaging system 20 b; a cardiology imaging system 20 c; a laboratory andoperating room information system 20 d; and a local database 20 e. TheHIS 20 a is a computer-assisted system designed to store, manipulate andretrieve information concerned with the administrative and clinicalaspects of providing services within the hospital. An exemplary HIS issold by MEDICAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INC.™ The radiology imagingsystem 20 b manages radiological images, and an exemplary radiologyimaging system is SYNAPSE™ sold by FUJIFILM MEDICAL SYSTEMS USA, INC.™The cardiology imaging system 20 c is similar to the radiology imagingsystem 20 b, except that the cardiology imaging system 20 c managescardiology images. The laboratory and operating room information system20 d manages laboratory operating room data, and an exemplary system 20d is sold by MEDITECH™.

If the program of the present invention is implemented on the firstserver 24, for example, one or more of the hospital information andimaging systems may be running on the server 26, wherein the programcommunicates with the server 26 via the communications network 28. Theprogram may also receive all or a portion of the information directlyfrom users. The program creates a series of interactive user interfacesfor presenting the information in a user-viewable form and for enablingusers to communicate directly with one or more of the hospitalinformation and imaging systems. The interactive user interfaces cangenerally be classified according to the information presented by eachinterface. A group of interfaces that present related information arecollectively referred to herein as a “view.” The program generallypresents a department view, a patient view, a visit view, and a researchview, as explained below.

The Department View

Referring to FIG. 3, the department view presents a top-level interface34 that enables physicians, nurses, clinical care givers and other usersto view activities and information associated with patients andparticular groups of patients for a particular day. The illustrateddepartment view interface 34 includes eight activity windows, whereineach window presents information according to certain parameters. Theillustrated activity windows include inpatients 36, procedures 38,clinics 40, daily schedule 42, rounds 44, consults 46, cath conference48, and personal notes 50 activity windows. The program preferablypresents the activity windows simultaneously, so that the user canquickly and easily scan the information presented in each window withouthaving to navigate multiple user interface pages.

The department view interface 34 also includes one or more dateselectors 52,54, wherein each date selector enables the user to quicklychoose a date associated with one or more of the activity windows. Theillustrated interface 34 includes two drop-down calendar date selectors52,54. A first date selector 52 enables a user to select a datepertaining to the procedures 38, clinics 40, and daily schedule 42activity windows. A second drop-down date selector 54 enables the userto select a date pertaining to the cath conference activity window 48.When the department view interface 34 is first presented, the defaultvalue for the first date selector 52 is the current date. The defaultvalue for the second date selector 54 is a pre-determined day of theweek. If catheterization conferences are held on Friday mornings, forexample, the default value for the second date selector 54 is the Fridayfollowing the current date. The user may then choose another date fromeither date selector 52,54 to view events associated with thatparticular day. The date selectors 52,54 are also presentedsimultaneously with the activity windows.

A menu toolbar 56 is located near a top of the interface 34, and aspecific context menu is associated with each activity window (see FIG.4). The menu toolbar 56 enables the user to perform functions and selectitems and options that are global in nature and thus pertain to thedepartment view generally as well as one or more other views of theprogram, and are not associated with a specific activity window. Thecontext menus enable the user to perform functions and select parametersand options that are associated with a specific activity window, and to“drill down” to obtain more detailed information about a selectedpatient or activity that is located within a specific activity window.The context menu associated with each activity window is preferably a“pop-up” menu activated when the user positions an on-screen pointer orarrow over the specific activity window and selects a designated inputbutton, such as a computer mouse button.

The Inpatients Activity Window

The inpatients activity window 36 presents information about patientscurrently admitted to the hospital or to one or more departments orservices of the hospital. Upon admission to the hospital, each inpatientis assigned a service, a team, and an attending physician. Patients maybe included in the inpatients activity window 36 while they are admittedto any service of the hospital, or may be included in the inpatientsactivity window 36 only upon being assigned to a designated hospitalservice, group of services, physician, or group of physicians.Inpatients are automatically included in the illustrated inpatientsactivity window 36 when they are assigned to a particular service orservices, such as cardiovascular surgery or cardiology services, or areassigned to a physician associated with these services. The program alsoautomatically removes patients from the window 36 when they are nolonger assigned to one of these services or associated physicians.

The program automatically updates the inpatients activity window 36 byadding patients who are assigned to one of the designated services orphysicians, and by removing patients who are no longer assigned to oneof the designated services or physicians. These automatic updates occurat a predefined or user-defined interval, such as every five minutes.The program determines patients' status by communicating with a hospitalinformation system, or “HIS,” to receive the information as recorded inthe HIS.

As illustrated, the inpatient activity window 36 presents a plurality ofrows 58 of information, wherein each row 58 pertains to a particularpatient. The illustrated information includes each patient's full name60, an attending physician identifier 62 indicating which physician iscurrently attending the patient, and a current location 64 of thepatient. The physician identifier 62 may be the first four characters ofthe physician's last name, and the location information may be a roomnumber.

An inpatients context menu 66 is illustrated in FIG. 4, wherein thecontext menu 66 appears when the user positions the on-screen pointerover the inpatient activity window 36 and presses the designated inputbutton, as explained above. The context menu 66 enables users to performfunctions and select parameters and options that are associated with theinpatients activity window 36, and to drill down to obtain more detailedinformation about a selected patient.

The context menu 66 generally presents two types of menu items: 1)patient-specific items and 2) items that are not patient-specific.Patient-specific items reveal more detailed information about a selectedpatient, therefore the user must select a specific patient in theinpatient activity window 36 prior to activating the context menu 66 andselecting a patient-specific menu item. The user selects a specificpatient within the inpatients activity window 36 by positioning theon-screen pointer over a small box 68 just to the left of the name 60 ofthe patient to be selected and pressing the designated mouse button. Ifthe patient has been properly selected a pointer 70 will appear withinthe gray box 68 and the entire row corresponding to the patient willchange color to highlight the row. The user may then activate thecontext menu 66 and select a patient-specific menu item relating to theselected patient.

The inpatient activity window context menu 66 presents three menu items,including patient overview 72, current clinical data 74, and filterpatients by 76. The patient overview 72 and current clinical data 74menu items are patient specific, while the filter patients by 76 menuitem is not patient specific. Selecting the patient overview menu item72 causes the program to present more information about the selectedpatient. In one embodiment, the program launches a patient view userinterface for the corresponding patient when the user selects thepatient overview menu item 72. The patient view is explained below, andtherefore will not be described here.

Selecting the current clinical data menu item 74 causes the program topresent more clinical information about the selected patient. In oneembodiment, the program launches a visit view user interface (see FIG.7-1) for the corresponding patient when the user selects the currentclinical data menu item 74. The visit that is displayed in the visitview user interface is the current patient visit, wherein clinical datais displayed beginning with the date and time the visit view is opened.The amount of clinical data displayed will depend on the user-definedvalue of a lab “lookback” period. Clinical data is displayed even if itspans multiple visits as long as it is within the lookback period. Thedefault lab lookback period is seven days, but may be user-defined viaan options menu 78 of the menu toolbar 56. The visit view is discussedin greater detail below.

Selecting the filter inpatients by menu item 76 enables the user todetermine how the patients listed in the inpatient activity window 36are filtered, or presented. The user may designate, for example, filterparameters such as one or more services, teams, or attending physiciansto use in selecting patients to include in the inpatients activitywindow 36. A current filter parameter 80 is indicated at a top of theinpatients activity window 36, wherein the parameter includes twophysicians—Lofland and O'Brien—so that the patients listed in theinpatients activity window are all of the patients with Lofland andO'Brien as attending physicians.

The Procedures Activity Window

The procedures activity window 38 presents information relating topatients who have had, or are scheduled to have, one or more medicalprocedures performed on the date designated by the first date selector52. In the illustrated embodiment, the medical procedures are surgicalprocedures performed by one or more designated departments, includingprocedures performed by the cardiovascular surgery department andcatheterization procedures performed by the cardiology department. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, the department or departments are indicated at atop of the procedures activity window.

The procedures activity window 38 presents one row of informationpertaining to each patient. The information includes a sequence 82,which is the sequence in which multiple procedures will be done by onephysician; a time 84, which is the date and time of the correspondingprocedure; the full name 86 of the patient; attending physician 88,which is an identifier of the physician who will be performing theprocedure; and a room 90, which is the location where the procedure isto be performed.

A procedures context menu 92 is associated with the procedures activitywindow 38, and is similar in form and function to the inpatients contextmenu 66 described above. Patient overview 94 and current clinical data96 menu items function substantially identically to the patient overview72 and current clinical data 74 menu items, respectively, describedabove in relation to the inpatients context menu 66 and therefore willnot be discussed in detail here.

A view procedure 98 menu item is a patient specific menu item thatpresents procedure information relating to a selected patient. Anexemplary procedure form 100 is illustrated in FIG. 5, wherein theprocedure form 100 presents surgical procedure information. Theinformation presented as part of the illustrated form 100 includes thepatient's medical record number 102, account number 104, admission date106, surgery information 108, surgical consultation information 1 10,pre-operation testing information 112, as well as various other piecesof information understood by those skilled in the art. When invoked viathe view procedure menu item 98, the program presents the patientprocedure form 100 in a protected mode so that the form data cannot bealtered by the user. The form information relates to the scheduledprocedure of the patient selected in the procedures activity window 38.

The edit procedure 114 menu item is similar to the view procedure 98menu item, except that selecting the edit procedure 114 menu itemenables the user to add, change, or remove information relating to aparticular procedure. When selected, the edit procedure 114 menu itemopens the procedure form 100 in an unprotected mode so that one or moreof the data fields may be altered by the user. To avoid unauthorizedusers from altering the procedure information, the program only allowsdesignated users to select this menu item, such as users with the roleof system administrator, administrator, or doctor.

The view/enter surgical data 116 menu item is also a patient specificmenu item that can be selected only be designated users, such as thosewith the role of system administrator, administrator, or doctor. Whenselected, the view/enter surgical data 116 menu item opens the visitview to the operative tab (410) as illustrated in FIG. 20. The patient'svisit associated with the selected procedure in the procedures activitywindow 38 will be opened and the operative tab will display all surgicalprocedures that occurred during that visit. As illustrated in FIG. 20,the operative tab presents procedure information in substantially thesame format as the procedure form 100. The visit view is described ingreater detail below.

Selecting the update appointments from HIS 118 menu item causes theprogram to update the scheduled appointments and surgical procedures ofthe program with any cardiovascular surgery or cardiology appointmentsthat have recently been added, changed, or deleted by or through thehospital information system (HIS). The update appointments from HIS 118menu item is a non-specific context menu item that can be selected onlyby designated users, such as those with the role of system administratorand administrator. If a new cardiovascular surgery appointment isreceived, the program will also automatically create a minimal datasetof surgical information and associate the dataset with that particularsurgical appointment. A user can thus add more detailed informationrelating to the new appointment as the information becomes available.The program is operable to automatically go through this process ofupdating appointments at predefined or user-defined intervals, such asevery ten minutes, to ensure that all appointment data is updated on atimely basis.

The filter procedures by 120 menu item is similar to the filterinpatients by 76 menu item of the inpatient context menu 66, describedabove. Selecting the filter procedures by 120 menu item of theprocedures context menu 92 enables the user to determine how thepatients listed in the procedures activity window 38 are filtered, orpresented. The user may designate, for example, filter parameters suchas one or more services, teams, or attending physicians to use inselecting patients to include in the procedures activity window 38. Thefilter function is discussed in greater detail below. A current filterparameter 122 is indicated at a top of the procedures activity window38.

The Clinics Activity Window

The clinics activity window 40 presents information relating to clinicalappointments on a date determined by the first date selector 52. Theillustrated activity window 40 presents a list of patients who have had,or are scheduled to have, one or more non-surgical ornon-catheterization appointments on the date indicated by the first dateselector 52. The clinics activity window 40 includes appointments at,for example, cardiology clinics, as well as surgery pre-operation, andsurgery follow-up appointments at one or more hospital locations. Asillustrated in FIG. 4, the specific groups or individuals displayed inthe clinics activity window 40 is indicated at a top of the window 40.

The clinics activity window 40 presents one row of informationpertaining to each patient. The information includes a time 124 of theclinic appointment; full name 126 of the patient; type of appointment128; attending physician identifier 130, identifying the physician withwhom the appointment is scheduled; and room 132 where the clinicappointment will be held.

A clinics context menu 134 associated with the clinics activity window40 is also illustrated in FIG. 4. The clinics context menu 134 issimilar in form and function to the inpatients context menu 66 describedabove. The patient overview 136 and filter appointments by 138 menuitems function substantially identically to the patient overview 72 andfilter inpatients by 76 menu items described above in relation to theinpatients context menu 66, and therefore will not be described indetail here.

The Daily Schedule Activity Window

The daily schedule activity window 42 displays the user's daily schedulefor the date corresponding to the first date selector 52. The user mayview today's schedule, for example, or the schedule of another day bychanging the first date selector 52.

The Rounds Activity Window

The rounds activity window 44 presents patient information orientedtoward one or more teams, such as a heart team, perfusion team, and soforth. A team typically includes two or more doctors, but may include asingle doctor in some circumstances. Teams transcend the boundaries ofservices or attending physicians, and often include patients until theyare discharged from the hospital, regardless of changes in attendingphysician, services, or both. As illustrated in FIG. 3, a title bar 140of the rounds activity window 44 displays which team the listed patientsare associated with.

The rounds activity window 44 presents information that is similar tothat of the inpatients activity window 36, including each patient's fullname 142, an identifier 144 of a physician currently attending thepatient, and a current location 146 of the patient. The rounds activitywindow 44 also functions similarly to the inpatients activity window 36.The program automatically adds patients to the rounds activity window44, for example, when the patients are assigned to a team. A differencebetween the rounds activity window 44 and the inpatients activity window36 is that team members add patients to the rounds activity window 44,and the patients are only removed if a team member removes them or thepatient is discharged from the hospital. Furthermore, if an inpatient istransferred to another hospital service or attending physician, his orher information will be removed from the inpatients activity window 36but will remain in the rounds activity window 44 until a team memberremoves the information or the patient is discharged from the hospital.

A rounds context menu 148 associated with the rounds activity window 44is illustrated in FIG. 4. The rounds context menu 148 is similar in formand function to the inpatients context menu 66 described above. Patientoverview 150 and current clinical data 152 menu items of the roundscontext menu 148 function substantially identically to correspondinginpatient context menu items described above in relation to theinpatients context menu 66, and therefore will not be described indetail here.

An add inpatient to rounds menu item 154 enables the user to add apatient to the rounds of a particular team. To add a patient to therounds activity window 44, the user must be a member of the team towhich the patient will be added, and must also be a systemadministrator, administrator, doctor, or advanced practice nurse (APN).When an authorized user selects the add inpatient to rounds menu item154, the program presents a form for assisting the user in adding aninpatient to the rounds activity window 44. An exemplary form 156 isillustrated in FIG. 6, wherein the form 156 lists all of the currentinpatients, as indicated by the HIS, and includes an add patient button158 and a cancel button 160. The user adds an inpatient to the roundsactivity window 44 by selecting a patient from the list of patientspresented in the form 156 and then selecting the add patient button 158.The user may cancel the transaction without adding a new patient to therounds activity window 44 by selecting the cancel button 160.

The remove inpatient from rounds menu item 162 enables the user toremove a patient from the rounds of a particular team. To remove apatient from the rounds activity window 44, the user must be a member ofthe team from which the patient will be removed, and must also be asystem administrator, administrator, doctor, or advanced practice nurse(APN). The remove inpatient from rounds menu item 162 is apatient-specific menu item, therefore the user must select a specificpatient from the rounds activity window 44 prior to activating therounds context menu 148 and selecting this context menu item.

The add/edit round notes menu item 164 enables the user to add or editnotes pertaining to a particular patient. To select this menu item theuser must be a system administrator or an APN. The add/edit round notesmenu item 164 is a patient-specific menu item, therefore the user mustselect a specific patient from the rounds activity window 44 prior toactivating the rounds context menu 148 and selecting this context menuitem. When this menu item is selected, the program presents a roundsnotes form 166 as illustrated in FIG. 7. The rounds notes form 166enables the user to submit notes pertaining to the selected patient,which notes will be available in a rounds report 168, illustrated inFIG. 9 and described in more detail below.

The rounds notes form 166 includes various data entry elements forreceiving information from the user. The illustrated form 166 includestext boxes for receiving a medical record number 170, account number172, room and doctor 174, patient name and procedure 176, patient ageand weight 178, medications 180, comments 182, X-ray and lab information184, and plan information 186. Each text entry box represents one columnof the rounds report 168, and the data entered in each column willappear in the proper column of the rounds report 168 pertaining to theselected patient.

The rounds notes form 166 also includes a save button 188, a cancelbutton 190, and an add event button 192. Selecting the save button 188stores the data entered in the text boxes and closes the form 166.Selecting the cancel button 190 closes the form 166 without saving anydata. Selecting the add event button 192 opens an event form (describedbelow) so that the user can enter a special event associated with thispatient.

The add/edit round miscellaneous menu item 194 of the rounds contextmenu 148 is a non-patient specific menu item that enables the user tosubmit information that will appear in a top section 196 or a bottomsection 198 of the rounds report 168. Only users with designated rolescan select this menu item, such as users with the role of systemadministrator and APN. Selecting the add/edit rounds miscellaneous menuitem 194 causes the program to present the add/edit rounds miscellaneousform 200 illustrated in FIG. 8. The user selects an on-servicecardiologist from a cardiologist drop down menu 202, and the name andphone number of the on-service cardiologist is placed in the top section196 of the rounds report 168. The user selects an on-service intensivistfrom an intensivist drop down menu 204, and the name and phone number ofthe on-service intensivist is also placed in the top section 196 of therounds report 168.

The user may submit information in a miscellaneous notes section 206 anda to do notes section 208, which information is placed in the bottomsection 198 of the rounds report 168. If the user selects a save button210, the program stores the data in the form 200 and closes the form200. If the user selects a cancel button 212, the program closes theform 200 without storing any data.

The create rounds report menu item 214 of the rounds context menu 148 isa non-patient specific menu item that enables the user to quickly viewinformation about each patient listed in the rounds activity window 44.When the user selects the create rounds report menu item 214, theprogram gathers information about each patient listed in the roundsactivity window 44 and presents the information in the rounds report 168illustrated in FIG. 9. The rounds report 168 can then be printed andused by, for example, doctors or nurses who are performing rounds on thepatients. The rounds report 168 is a conventional report includinginformation readily understood by those skilled in the art, andtherefore will be described herein in greater detail.

The filter rounds by menu item 216 is similar to the filter inpatientsby menu item 76 of the inpatient context menu 66, described above.Selecting the filter rounds by menu item 216 of the rounds context menu148 enables the user to determine how the patients listed in the roundsactivity window 44 are filtered, or presented. The user may designate,for example, filter parameters such as one or more services, teams, orattending physicians to use in selecting patients to include in therounds activity window 44.

The Consults Activity Window

The consults activity window 46 presents information about patients whoare associated with a physician or a team of physicians in aconsultation relationship. As illustrated in FIG. 4, a title bar 218 ofthe consults activity window 46 displays which team or physician thelisted patients are associated with.

The consults activity window 46 presents information that is similar tothat of the inpatients activity window 36, including each patient's fullname 220, a physician identifier 222 of a physician currently attendingthe patient, and a current location 224 of the patient. The consultsactivity window 46 also functions similarly to the inpatients activitywindow 36. A difference between the consults activity window 46 and theinpatients activity window 36 is that team members and physicians addpatients to the consults activity window 46, and the patients are onlyremoved if a team member or physician removes them or the patient isdischarged from the hospital. Furthermore, if an inpatient istransferred to another hospital service or attending physician, theprogram removes his or her information from the inpatients activitywindow 36 but does not remove the information from the consults activitywindow 46 until a team member specifically requests removal of theinformation or the patient is discharged from the hospital.

A consults context menu 226 associated with the consults activity window46 is also illustrated in FIG. 4. The consults context menu 226 issimilar in form and function to the inpatients context menu 66 describedabove. Patient overview 228 and current clinical data 230 menu items ofthe rounds context menu 226 function substantially identically tocorresponding inpatient context menu items described above in relationto the inpatients context menu 66.

An add inpatient to consults menu item 232 enables the user to add apatient to the consults of a particular team. To add a patient to theconsults activity window 46, the user must be a member of the team towhich the patient will be added or a physician, and must also be asystem administrator, administrator, doctor, advanced practice nurse(APN), or perfusionist. When an authorized user selects the addinpatient to consults menu item 232, the program presents a form forassisting the user in adding an inpatient to the consults activitywindow 46. An exemplary form 156 is illustrated in FIG. 6 and describedabove.

A remove inpatient from consults menu item 234 enables the user toremove a patient from the consults activity window 46. To remove apatient from the consults activity window 46, the user must be a memberof a team if the patient will be removed from that team, and must alsobe a system administrator, administrator, doctor, APN, or perfusionist.If a patient is included in the consults of an individual physician,only that physician can remove the patient from his or her consultslist. The remove inpatient from rounds menu item 234 is apatient-specific menu item, therefore the user must select a specificpatient from the consults activity window 46 prior to activating theconsults context menu 226 and selecting this context menu item.

The filter consults by 236 menu item is similar to the filter inpatientsby menu item 76 of the inpatient context menu 66, described above.Selecting the filter consults by menu item 236 of the consults contextmenu 226 enables the user to determine how the patients listed in theconsults activity window 46 are filtered, or presented. The user maydesignate, for example, filter parameters such as one or more services,teams, or attending physicians to use in selecting patients to includein the consults activity window 46.

The Cath Conference and Personal Notes Activity Windows

The cath conference activity window 48 contains a list of all patientsthat are scheduled to be presented to or have been presented to thecatheterization conference on date indicated by the second date selector54. The personal notes activity window 50 contains notes that can bewritten and responded to by user, attending physician, team, ordepartment.

The Filter Function

When the user selects a “filter by” context menu item from any of thecontext menus described above, the program presents a filter by form 238illustrated in FIG. 10. A “filter by” set of radio buttons includes aservice button 240, team button 242, and attending physician button 244.If the user selects the service radio button 240, for example, theprogram presents patients that are scheduled to receive, or havereceived, a particular service. An available sources window 246 presentsthe available filter parameters for each filter option. As illustrated,for example, if the attending physician radio button 244 is selected,the available sources window 246 presents all possible attendingphysicians for the user to choose from. A single add button 248 enablesthe user to add the selected physician to a selected sources window 250,and an add all button 252 enables the user to add all sources to theselected sources window 250. A single remove button 254 and a remove allbutton 256 similarly function to move sources from the selected sourceswindow 250 to the available sources window 246.

A save as default setting checkbox 258 enables the user to save thecurrent settings as default settings, and a restore default button 260enables the user to abandon any current settings and revert to thepreviously-saved default settings. Selecting an ok button 262 stores andapplies the current settings and closes the window, and selecting acancel button 264 closes the window without storing or applying anysettings.

The Patient View

Referring to FIG. 11, the patient view presents a top-level interface300 that enables physicians, nurses, clinical care givers or other usersto view detailed information associated with a particular patient. Theillustrated patient view interface 300 includes various informationtabs, wherein each tab relates to a separate interface element. In theillustrated interface 300, selecting a tab presents an interface elementwith various information windows. The tabs include medical history 302,heart lab 304, radiology 306, demographics 308, studies 310,epidemiology 312, and genetics 314. The interface 300 also presents aplurality of patient identifier fields 316 that provide identificationinformation about the current patient.

The menu toolbar 56 is located near a top of the interface 300 andenables the user to select items and options that apply universally andare not associated with a specific tab or information window. Theinterface 300 also provides context menus that enable the user to selectitems and options that are associated with a specific informationwindow, and enable the user to drill down to view more detailedinformation about a selected piece of information that is presented inan information window. As explained above in relation to the departmentview interface 34, a context menu associated with each informationwindow is activated when the user positions an on-screen pointer orarrow over the specific activity window and selects a designated inputbutton, such as the right mouse button.

The patient identifier fields 316 remain at the illustrated location tothe left of the patient tabs regardless of which patient identifier tabthe user is viewing. The patient identifier fields 316 include thepatient's medical record number (MRN); the patient's last name; thepatient's first name; the patient's date of birth; the patient's gender;the ethnic origin of the patient; and the age of the patient in years,months and days. The MRN is a unique patient identifier number assignedby the hospital to each patient on record. All of a patient's medicalrecords are referenced by this unique number each time the patientvisits the hospital.

The Medical History Tab

The medical history tab 302 presents information relating to variousaspects of the patient's medical history. The illustrated medicalhistory tab 302 presents seven information windows, including previousvisits 318, procedures 320, scheduled visits 322, diagnoses 324,medications 326, complications 328, and allergies 330 informationwindows.

The previous visits information window 318 presents a list and briefdescription of all prior activity that the selected patient has had withthe hospital. The illustrated previous visits information window 318includes one row of information for each visit or activity, wherein therows are divided into columns corresponding to a date of the visit 332;status 334, or type of visit; and reason 336 for the visit. An exemplarylist of types of visits that may be included in the status column 334includes inpatient (INP), outpatient (OUT), emergency room (ER), anddiagnostic transfer activities (DXTXR).

A previous visits context menu 338 is illustrated in FIG. 12, whichincludes only a single menu item 340 labeled “view visit details.” Theview visit details context menu item 340 is specific to an activity orvisit, therefore the user must select a visit or activity prior toactivating the context menu 338 and selecting this menu item. The visitor activity is selected by using a pointing device to select a small boxto left of the visit or activity, as explained above in relation to thedepartment view user interface 34. When the user selects the view visitdetails menu item 340 the program automatically opens the visit view forthe selected patient. Any clinical information associated with thisvisit will be displayed in the visit view. The visit view is describedin greater detail below.

The procedures information window 320 presents a list and briefdescription of all prior procedures that the patient has had at thehospital. There is one row of data in this window for each separateprocedure that the patient has had, even if there are multipleprocedures during one patient visit. The rows are divided into columnscorresponding to date of the procedure 342; attending surgeon 344; andprocedure 346, which indicates the primary procedure associated withthis surgery. A procedures information window context menu 348 isillustrated in FIG. 12, wherein the menu 348 presents a single item 350labeled “view surgical data.” When the user selects the view surgicaldata 350 menu item the program launches the operative tab of the visitview associated with the selected procedure. As explained below, theoperative tab presents information associated with the procedure.

The scheduled visits information window 322 presents a list of futurevisits that are scheduled for the patient. There is one row of data inthis window for each scheduled visit, wherein the rows are divided intocolumns representing appointment 352, which is the date and time of thescheduled visit; type of visit 354; attending physician 356, whichincludes an attending physician identifier who the visit is scheduledwith; and room 358 where the visit is scheduled. A scheduled visitsinformation window context menu 360 includes a single item 362 labeled“add a new appointment and surgery.” When the user selects the add a newappointment and surgery menu item 362, the program presents a newappointment form 364 illustrated in FIG. 13.

The new appointment form 364 presents various data fields through whichthe user submits information relating to a new appointment or newsurgery. An MRN data field 366 contains the medical record number of thepatient associated with the appointment. An account number data field368 receives an account number associated with the visit, and a date ofthe appointment or surgery data field 370 receives the scheduled dat.The date presented in the date field 370 is the present date by default,and the user may select another date using a drop-down menu activator372. A time data field 374 receives the time of the appointment, and asurgeon data field 376 enables the user to choose a surgeon performingthe procedure.

When the user selects a save button 378, the program schedules theappointment or surgery by saving the information to the database 20 eand creates an empty surgery record to be completed at a later time. Aconfirmation message is then presented to the user, and the appointmentimmediately appears in the scheduled visits information window 322. Thescheduled appointment is also accessible via other views and/orinterfaces. For example, when the surgeon logs into the program andlaunches the department view (described above), the scheduledappointment will appear in the procedures activity window 38 when thesurgeon selects the date of the scheduled appointment from the firstdate selector 52.

The diagnoses information window 324 presents a list of all previousdiagnoses for the patient. The medications information window 326presents a list of all medications that the patient is currently taking.The complications information window 328 presents a list of all previousor current complications associated with the patient. The allergiesinformation window 330 presents a list of all known allergies associatedwith the patient. Thus, using the various information windows of themedical history tab 302, the user can quickly and easily view patientmedical information that is pertinent to diagnosing illnesses,prescribing medications, and so forth.

The heart lab tab

The heart lab tab 304 is illustrated in FIG. 14 and enables the user toview medical images associated with the patient. When the heart lab tab304 is selected, the program automatically requests updated images fromanother hospital department. In one embodiment, the programautomatically communicates with the hospital cardiology imaging system20 c to acquire any catheterization or echo image studies that have beenperformed on the patient. The cardiology imaging system 20 c provides alist of all stored imaging studies for the patient, as illustrated inthe interface window of FIG. 14.

The interface between the computer 10 implementing the present inventionand the cardiology imaging system 20 c may include a web client windowand an active-x control located in an imaging tab frame. When the heartlab tab 304 is selected, the program sends a username, password, andmedical record number to the web-based cardiology imaging system 20 c.The cardiology imaging system responds by opening a web session to theprogram and displaying all of the studies for the selected medicalrecord number. The imaging system web session is then displayed in a webclient of the heart lab tab 304. The user then has all the functionalityof the cardiology imaging system in the web client window of the heartlab tab 304.

An exemplary echocardiogram 380 communicated to and presented by theheart lab tab 304 is illustrated in FIG. 15. A control box 382 createdby the echocardiogram software presents a series of controls that enablethe user to choose between several images and manipulate the image 380currently displayed. These controls will be readily recognized by thoseskilled in the art and therefore will not be described in detail here.

The radiology tab

The radiology tab 306 is illustrated in FIG. 16. The radiology tab 306is similar to the heart lab tab 304 in that it enables the user to viewmedical images associated with the patient. When the user selects theradiology tab 306, the program automatically requests updated imagesfrom the hospital radiology imaging system 20 b to acquire any film,echo, CT, or other image studies that have been performed on thepatient. The cardiology imaging system 20 b will respond back with alist of all stored radiology studies for that patient, as shown in FIG.16.

The interface between the program and the radiology imaging system 20 bis a web client window and an active-x control located in a radiologytab frame. When the radiology tab 306 is selected, the program sends ausername, password, and medical record number to the web-based radiologyimaging system. The radiology imaging system 20 b responds by opening aweb session to the program and displaying all studies for the selectedmedical record number. The radiology imaging system web session is thendisplayed in the web client of the radiology tab 306. The user then hasall the functionality of the radiology web-based imaging system in theweb client window of the radiology tab 306. An exemplary radiology websession is illustrated in FIG. 17, wherein two images are presentedconcurrently.

The demographics tab

The demographics tab 308 is illustrated in FIG. 18 and presents general,family, and provider information associated with the patient. Thedemographic information is presented in various user interface sectionsrelating to patient information 384, next of kin information 386,emergency contact information 388, family provider information 390, andprimary care physician information 392. The program automaticallyretrieves the information in each of these sections from the HIS 20 awhen a patient is submitted to the program. The program alsoautomatically updates the demographic information with any changes madeto the HIS 20 a at pre-determined times, such as on the day before ascheduled appointment and on the day after a scheduled appointment.

The studies tab

The studies tab 310, illustrated in FIG. 19, presents information aboutstudies the patient is currently enrolled in. The tab 310 allows theuser to view, submit, and modify information about a study when the userselects that study from a list 394 of studies.

The epidemiology and genetics tabs

The epidemiology tab 312 and the genetics tab 314 presentepidemiological information and genetic information, respectively,pertaining to the selected patient. This information may be presented inmuch the same form as the medical history and demographics informationdiscussed above.

The Visit View

Referring to FIG. 20, the visit view presents a top-level interface 400that enables physicians, nurses, clinical caregivers and other users toview detailed information associated with a hospital visit of aparticular patient. The illustrated visit view interface 400 includesvarious information tabs, wherein each tab relates to a particular typeof information. In the illustrated interface 400, selecting a tabpresents an interface element with various information windows. Theillustrated tabs include diagnoses 402, heart lab 404, radiology 406,pre-operative 408, operative 410, post-operative 412, reports 414,discharge 416, and follow up 418. The top-level interface 400 alsopresents a plurality of patient identifier fields 420 that provideidentification information about the current patient. The patientidentifier fields 420 are substantially identical to the patientidentifier fields 316 that are presented as part of the patient view,described above.

The diagnoses tab

The diagnoses tab 402 presents information about one or more diagnosesof a patient during a visit.

The heart lab and radiology tabs

The heart lab tab 404 and the radiology tab 406 are substantiallyidentical to the heart lab tab 304 and the radiology tab 306 presentedas part of the patient view, described above. Therefore, these tabs willnot be described in detail here.

The pre-operative tab

The pre-operative tab 408 includes pre-operative medical information forthe selected patient. The pre-operative tab 408 includes a pre-op reviewsection and a details section. The pre-op review section includes thecomplete pre-operative data sheet for the selected patient, while thedetails section includes more detailed pre-operative data.

The operative tab

The operative tab 410 is illustrated in FIG. 20 and presents informationrelating to surgeries performed during the selected patient's visit. Thesurgical information is divided into several tabs nested within theoperative tab 410, wherein the nested tabs are located along a top ofthe operative tab and include a general information tab 422, a surgicaldetails tab 424, a valves and homografts tab 426, a perfusion tab 428,and an anesthesiology tab 430.

The general information tab 422 presents a list of surgeries in a topportion 432 of the tab 422, wherein the list includes various pieces ofinformation associated with each surgery. The illustrated list ofsurgeries includes a date 434 of the surgery, attending physician 436,surgery type 438, current procedure terminology (CPT) 440, and adescription 442 of the primary procedure for each surgery. When aparticular surgery is highlighted, such as when the user selects thesurgery with an input device, various data fields in a lower section 444of the tab 422 are updated to reflect the selected surgery.

The data fields of the lower section 444 of the general information tab422 include MRN 446, account number 448, and date 450 the patient wasadmitted for the surgery. A surgery data section 452, surgicalconsultation data section 454, and pre-op testing data section 456 eachinclude date, time and location fields. An attending physician datafield 458 indicates the patient's attending physician, and a surgerytype data field 460 indicates the type of surgery that was performed onthe patient. A cardiologist data field 462 indicates the patient'scardiologist, and a procedure sequence data field 464 indicates asequence associated with the procedure, such as initial, staged, repeat,chest closure, and so forth. Patient age 466, weight 468, and height 470data fields present the indicated patient information. A prior total CVsurgeries data field 472 indicates the total number of cardiovascularsurgeries this patient has had, while a prior open CV surgeries datafield 474 indicates the number of open cardiovascular surgeries thispatient has had.

A patient origin data field 476 indicates where the patient went tosurgery from, such as pediatric intensive care unit, same day surgery(SDS), hospital bed, and so forth. A scheduling status data field 478indicates how the surgery was scheduled, such as elective, urgent,emergent, and so forth. A body surface area data field 478 provides acalculation of the patient's body surface area based on the patient'sheight and weight. An initial indications data field 480 listspre-operative patient diagnoses. An antenatal diagnosis checkbox 482indicates whether the procedure related to fetal diagnosis, and a TEErequired checkbox 484 indicates whether a transesophogeal echo wasrequired.

The surgical details tab 424 presents information relating to thediagnoses, procedures, and complications associated with the surgerythat is selected from the general information tab 422. As illustrated inFIG. 21, the surgical details tab 424 is divided into three sections. Afirst section 486 is dedicated to diagnoses, a second section 488 isdedicated to procedures, and a third section 490 is dedicated tocomplications. Each section contains a context menu item which allowsthe user to enter primary and secondary surgical diagnoses, procedures,and complications.

The valves and homografts tab 426 presents information related to anyvalves, homografts, or both used during the surgery that is selectedfrom the general information tab 422. The perfusion data tab 428presents perfusion data collected during the surgery that is selectedfrom the general information tab 422. The anesthesiology tab 430presents anesthesiology information collected during the surgery that isselected from the general information tab 422.

The post-operative tab

The post-operative tab 412 is illustrated in FIG. 22 and presentsinformation relating to the patient's status after the surgery. Thepost-operative tab 412 includes a series of nested tabs arrangedhorizontally near a top of the tab 412. The nested tabs include bloodgases 492, hematology 494, coagulation 496, chemistry 498, endocrinology450, liver profile 452, urinalysis 454, other tests 456, ins and outs458, events 460, and vital signs 462.

The blood gases tab 491 presents laboratory information pertaining tothe patient's blood gases. The blood gases tab 492 is divided into twoareas: a top area presents a blood gases lab result table 514, and abottom area presents a blood gases chart 516.

The blood gases result table 514 lists all of the blood gas laboratoryresults for the selected patient over a predetermined period of time.The length, beginning date, and ending date of the predetermined periodof time depends on how the visit view was invoked. If the user invokedthe visit view by selecting a current clinical data context menu itemfrom the department view, for example, the predetermined period of timeis the user-defined “lookback” period that ends with today's date andbegins a user-determined number of days prior to today's date.Alternatively, if the user invoked the visit view by selecting aprevious visit from the patient view and then selected the view clinicaldata menu item 340, the predetermined period of time corresponds to thatvisit so that the information includes all of the lab results collectedduring the visit.

The blood gases lab result table 514 lists all lab results in reversechronological order, so that the most recent lab result is always at thetop of the list. Each blood gas result occupies a separate row of thetable, and each row is divided into columns. A first column 518 of eachrow, denoted “collected,” specifies the date and time that the samplewas collected from the patient. Subsequent columns present specific labresults, such as BGS 520, PH 522, PCO2 524, and so forth. The labresults can include numeric or textual information. To the right of someof the lab result columns is an unmarked status column 526 fordisplaying an indication from the laboratory of the status of the resultin the corresponding results column. If a particular lab result iswithin a normal range, the corresponding status column is left unmarked.Alternatively, the status column may be marked CL, L, H, or CH toindicate that the lab result is critically low, low, high, or criticallyhigh, respectively.

An exemplary use of the status column is illustrated in connection witha calcium ion lab results column 528. In the illustration, the result ofa first blood test performed on January 14 was 1.37, the result of asecond blood test performed on January 14 was 1.38, and the result of athird blood test performed on January 14 was 1.38. Because the 1.37result is within the normal range, the status column box correspondingto the first test remains unmarked. Furthermore, the 1.38 results arehigh, therefore the status column boxes corresponding to the second andthird results are each marked “H,” indicating that the result is high. Auser can thus quickly and easily determine which results are normal andwhich results present potential challenges. An exemplary list of bloodgases that are tested is illustrated in the table of FIG. 23.

The blood gas chart 516 is presented in the blood gases tab 492concurrently with the blood gases lab result table 514. The chart 516presents graphical information associated with the lab results frommultiple tests plotted over time. The illustrated chart 516 plots thevalues of four blood gas tests across- multiple test dates beginning onJan. 1, 2005 and ending on Jan. 17, 2005. As illustrated in a key 530 tothe right of a graph 532 of the chart 516, the chart 516 plots thevalues of base excess (BE), venous base excess (VBE), PH, and venous PH.Each of the plots is placed on the same graph 532, therefore each ispresented in a different color. The key 530 indicates which color eachgraph is plotted in by illustrating the line next to each label in thecorresponding color.

The chart 516 is built by first going through every value in eachlaboratory test result set and converting it to a numeric value. If aparticular data point value cannot be converted to a numeric value, itis removed from the dataset of that lab result series. During thisprocess, the earliest and latest collection times of all four series arealso determined. These two times form the range of the horizontal axis(time) scale of the graph 532. The range of the left vertical axis isdetermined by the minimum and maximum values of all BE and VBE data, andthe range of the right vertical axis is determined by the minimum andmaximum values of all PH and VPH data. The left and right vertical axesare automatically ranged for each respective minimum and maximum value,so there is not necessarily a “zero” value along the vertical axis foreither range.

The values for each measurement are then placed in their proper locationwithin the horizontal (time) and vertical (value) boundaries of thegraph 532. All consecutive data points are then connected for aparticular lab value, beginning at the earliest value along thehorizontal (time) axis for that lab result and ending with the latesttime value for that test result. The lines connecting two consecutivelab results are for reference only, and do not necessarily represent anymeasurements between those two discreet data points. It is alsoimportant to note that the connecting line segments begin with the firstlab result for that test type and end with the last lab result for thattest type. Therefore lines will not begin before the first actual datapoint or extend beyond the last data point for a particular lab series.

The hematology tab 494 is illustrated in FIG. 24 and presents apatient's hematological laboratory information. The hematology tab 494is divided into two areas: an upper area presents a hematology labresult table 534, and a lower area presents a hematology chart 536. Thehematology lab result table 534 is substantially identical in form andfunction to the blood gases result table 514 described above, exceptthat the hematology lab result table includes laboratory test resultspertaining to hematology, such as white blood count, red blood count,hemoglobin, and so forth. A table of hematology data is illustrated inFIG. 25.

The hematology chart 536 is similar in form and function to the bloodgases chart 516 described above. The hematology chart 536 plotscolor-coded values for hemoglobin (Hgb), white blood count (WBC), andplatelets. The chart is built by first finding the earliest and latestcollection times of the three values. These two times form the range ofthe horizontal axis (time) scale. The range of the left vertical axis isdetermined by the minimum and maximum values of the Hgb and WBC data,and the range of the right vertical axis is determined by the minimumand maximum values of all platelets data. The left and right verticalaxis values are automatically ranged for each respective minimum andmaximum value, so there is not necessarily a “zero” value for eitherrange. The values for each measurement are then placed in their properlocation within the horizontal and vertical boundaries of the chart, andconsecutive data points are connected for particular lab value.

The coagulation tab 496 is illustrated in FIG. 26 and presents apatient's coagulation information. The coagulation tab 496 is dividedinto two areas: an upper area presents a coagulation lab result table538, and a lower area presents a coagulation chart 540. The coagulationlab result table 538 is substantially identical in form and function tothe blood gases result table 514 described above, except that thecoagulation lab result table 538 includes laboratory test resultspertaining to coagulation. A table of coagulation data is illustrated inFIG. 27.

The coagulation chart 540 is similar in form and function to the bloodgases chart 516 described above. The coagulation chart 540 plotscolor-coded values for Protime, aPTT, and INR. The chart is built byfirst finding the earliest and latest collection times of the threevalues. These two times form the range of the horizontal axis (time)scale. The range of the left vertical axis is determined by the minimumand maximum values of the Protime and aPTT data, and the range of theright vertical axis is determined by the minimum and maximum values ofall INR data. The left and right vertical axis values are automaticallyranged for each respective minimum and maximum value, so there is notnecessarily a “zero” value for either range. The values for eachmeasurement are then placed in their proper location within thehorizontal and vertical boundaries of the chart, and consecutive datapoints are connected for particular lab value, as explained above inrelation to the blood gases tab 492.

The chemistry tab 498 is illustrated in FIG. 28 and presents chemistrylaboratory test results associated with the selected patient. Thechemistry tab 498 is divided into two areas: an upper area presents achemistry lab result table 542, and a lower area presents a chemistrychart 544. The chemistry lab result table 542 is substantially identicalin form and function to the blood gases result table 514 describedabove, except that the chemistry lab result table 542 includes chemistrylaboratory test results, such as sodium, potassium, and so forth. Atable of chemistry data is illustrated in FIG. 29.

The chemistry chart 544 is similar in form and function to the bloodgases chart 516 described above. The chemistry chart 544 plotscolor-coded values for BUN, Anion Gap, and Creatinine. The chart isbuilt by first finding the earliest and latest collection times of thethree values. These two times form the range of the horizontal axis(time) scale. The range of the left vertical axis is determined by theminimum and maximum values of the BUN and Anion Gap data, and the rangeof the right vertical axis is determined by the minimum and maximumvalues of all Creatinine data. The left and right vertical axis valuesare automatically ranged for each respective minimum and maximum value,so there is not necessarily a “zero” value for either range. The valuesfor each measurement are then placed in their proper location within thehorizontal and vertical boundaries of the chart, and consecutive datapoints are connected for particular lab value, as explained above inrelation to the blood gases tab 492.

The endocrinology tab 500 is illustrated in FIG. 30 and presents apatient's endocrinology laboratory test results. The endocrinology tab500 includes an endocrinology lab result table 546 that is substantiallyidentical in form and function to the blood gases result table 514described above, except that the endocrinology lab result table 546includes endocrinology laboratory test results. The illustratedendocrinology lab result table includes results for T4, TSH, and freeT4.

The liver profile tab 502 is illustrated in FIG. 31 and presents apatient's liver profile laboratory test results. The liver profile tab502 presents a liver profile lab result table 548. The liver profile labresult table 548 is substantially identical in form and function to theblood gases result table 514 described above, except that the liverprofile lab result table 548 includes liver profile laboratory testresults, such as T Prot, T Bili, and so forth. A table of exemplaryliver profile lab result data is illustrated in FIG. 32.

The urinalysis tab 504 is illustrated in FIG. 33 and presents apatient's urinalysis laboratory test results. The urinalysis tab 504presents a urinalysis lab result table 550. The urinalysis lab resulttable 550 is substantially identical in form and function to the bloodgases result table 514 described above, except that the urinalysis labresult table 550 includes urinalysis laboratory test results, such asvolume, color, clarity, and so forth. A table of exemplary urinalysislab result data is illustrated in FIG. 34.

The other tests tab 506 is illustrated in FIG. 35 and presents apatient's laboratory test results that are not included in one of thepreviously-defined laboratory groups. The other tests tab 506 presents alab result table 552. The other tests lab result table 552 issubstantially identical in form and function to the blood gases resulttable 514 described above, except that the other tests lab result table552 includes laboratory test result information that is not limited to aparticular type or category of test. The illustrated other tests labresult table 552 includes a collected column for indicating a date thelaboratory test information was collected; a category column forindicating a category of the test being performed; a result type columnfor indicating a specific name of the test being performed; a resultcolumn for indicating a result, or value, of the test being performed;status column for indicating whether the test result is normal orabnormal; a units column for indicating the unit of measure of the testresult; and a normal range column for indicating a normal range of thetest result for this patient. The status column may include indicatorssuch as H, CH, L, and CL corresponding to high, critically high, low,and critically low, respectively. If a box of the status column isempty, the corresponding test result was normal.

The ins and outs tab 508 is illustrated in FIG. 36 and presentsinformation about all intakes by the selected patient and outputs fromthat patient over a particular period of time. The information typicallyrelates to a twelve-hour period and the accumulated amounts are recordedon the patient's flow sheet. Intakes may include blood products,intravenous medications and fluids, and feeding intakes. Typical outputsinclude chest tube drainage and urine. The ins and outs tab 508 isdivided into two areas: an upper area presents an ins and outs resulttable 554, and a lower area presents an ins and outs chart 556. The insand outs result table 554 is similar in form and function to the bloodgases result table 514 described above, except that the ins and outsresult table 554 includes the intakes and outputs information describedabove and generally does not include a status column.

The table of FIG. 37 lists various values that may appear in the labresults table 554. Some of the values listed in FIG. 37 are not visiblein the table 554 because they are in columns that are beyond the scopeof the chart window. It will be appreciated that the columns that arenot visible are substantially identical in form to those that arevisible, and may be accessed by manipulating a scroll bar located near abottom of the chart window. Each cumulative intake and output entry ison a separate row of the table 554, and the collected column of each rowspecifies the ending date and time that the entry represents.

The ins and outs chart 556 is similar in form and function to the bloodgases chart 516 described above. The ins and outs chart 556 plotscolor-coded values for a twelve-hour balance, a thirty-six hour movingaverage, and a cumulative value. The twelve-hour balance representstotal intake less total output for the twelve-hour period as recorded onthe nursing flow sheet. The thirty-six hour moving average representsthe average of three consecutive twelve-hour balances, typically thecurrent twelve-hour balance and the next two. The thirty-six hour movingaverage tends to smooth out the more drastic fluctuations of thetwelve-hour balance, and show a more accurate trend of ins and outsbalances. The cumulative value represents a running total of alltwelve-hour balances over time, both positive and negative, beginning atzero.

The ins and outs chart 556 is built by first finding the earliest andlatest collection times of the twelve-hour balance values. These twotimes form the range of the horizontal axis (time) scale. Thetwelve-hour balance data is then sequenced from earliest to latest andthe thirty-six hour moving average and cumulative values are calculated.The range of the left vertical axis is determined by the minimum andmaximum values of all twelve-hour balance and thirty-six hour movingaverage data, and the range of the right vertical axis is determined bythe minimum and maximum values of all cumulative data.

The left and right vertical axis values are automatically ranged foreach respective minimum and maximum value. The values for eachmeasurement are then placed in their proper location within thehorizontal (time) and vertical (value) boundaries of the chart. Allconsecutive data points are then connected for a particular data series,beginning at the earliest value along the horizontal axis for thatseries and ending with the latest horizontal axis value for that series.The lines connecting two consecutive data points are for reference only,and do not necessarily represent any measurements between those twodiscreet data points.

The ins and outs tab 508 also has an associated ins and outs contextmenu 560, illustrated in FIG. 44, that is presented in response to apre-determined user input, such as depressing a mouse button. Thecontext menu 560 includes three menu items: add new record, editselected record, and delete selected record. When the user selects theadd new record context menu item, the program presents a blank ins andouts entry form 558, illustrated in FIG. 38.

The form 558 presents a date field 562 that represents the ending dateof the period for which the ins and outs are being entered. The value inthe date field defaults to the current date, but the user may change thedate in this field by selecting the drop-down menu button and choosinganother date from the drop-down menu. A time field 564 represents theending time of the period for which the ins and outs are being entered.The time field 564 may also default to a particular time, such as 06:00or 18:00, which correspond to nursing flow sheet cut-off times. Thedefault value may be, for example, the closest previous cut-off time,but can be any time submitted in the twenty-four hour (00:00) format.The “Accumulated Until” radio buttons 566,568 are associated with thetime field and allow the user to change the value to the time field toeither 6:00 a.m. (06:00) or 6:00 p.m. (18:00).

The cumulative intake 570 and cumulative output 572 fields are read-onlyfields that maintain running totals of all intake 574 fields and alloutput 576 fields, respectively. The intake 574 fields and the output576 fields receive data from the user relating to each of the topicslisted in FIG. 37. A medical record number (MRN) field 578 defaults tothe MRN of the current patient, but may be changed by the user. Anaccount number field 580 defaults to the account number of the currentvisit, but may also be changed by the user. When a new record has beencreated and saved, the program automatically and immediately updates theins and outs results table 554 and the ins and outs chart 556 to reflectthe new information.

The edit selected record menu item of the context menu 560 is arecord-specific menu item, therefore the user must select a specific rowwithin the ins and outs result table 554 prior to activating the contextmenu 560 and selecting this menu item. Once this item is selected, theprogram presents the ins and outs entry form 558 containing informationfrom the selected row. The user may then change the values in editablefields and save the new information by selecting the save button. Once arecord has been edited and saved, the program automatically andimmediately updates the ins and outs results table 554 and the ins andouts chart 556 to reflect the new information.

The delete selected record menu item of the context menu 560 is arecord-specific menu item, therefore the user must select a specific rowwithin the ins and outs result table 554 prior to activating the contextmenu 560 and selecting this menu item. When the user selects the deleteselected record menu item, the program presents a message asking theuser to confirm the deletion of the selected record. If the user submitsa positive response to the confirmation request, the programautomatically deletes the corresponding ins and outs data and updatesthe ins and outs results table 554 and the ins and outs chart 556 toreflect the change.

The events tab 510 is illustrated in FIG. 39 and generally presentsevent information relating to the selected patient. The illustratedevents tab 510 presents an event timeline table 582 and a plurality ofevent category tables. The event category tables include medications584, movements 586, pulmonary 588, procedures 590, complications 592,and IV solutions 594.

The event timeline table 582 lists all of the events that have occurredfor the selected patient over a predetermined period of time in reversechronological order. The length, beginning date, and ending date of thepredetermined period of time depends on how the visit view was invoked.If the user invoked the visit view by selecting a current clinical datacontext menu item from the department view, for example, thepredetermined period of time is the user-defined “lookback” period thatends with today's date and begins a user-determined number of days priorto today's date. Alternatively, if the user invoked the visit view byselecting a previous visit from the patient view and then selected theview clinical data 340 menu item, the predetermined period of timecorresponds to that visit so that the information includes all of thelab results collected during the visit.

Each row of the event timeline table 582 corresponds to an event, andthe rows are divided up into columns of information. A date/time columnindicates a date and time of the event; a category column indicates atype of the event, wherein the event type corresponds to one of theevent category tables; an event column presents the main description ofthe event; and a detail column presents more detailed information aboutthe event, if required.

Events are added to and removed from the event timeline table 582 via acontext menu 596 associated with the table 582. An add new event contextmenu item enables the user to enter a new event of any category into theevent timeline table 582 and the appropriate event category table. Whenthe user selects this context menu item, the program presents the evententry form 598 as illustrated in FIG. 40. A date field 600 of the form598 defaults to the current date, but the user may change the date byselecting a drop-down menu button to activate a drop-down menu andchoosing a date from the menu. A time field 602 defaults to the presenttime, but the user may change the time to any (valid) time. A medicalrecord number (MRN) field 604 defaults to the MRN of the currentpatient, and an account number field 606 defaults to the account numberof the current visit.

A category drop-down menu 608 enables the user to select a category forthe event, wherein each available category corresponds to one of theevent category tables. Once the user selects a category from thecategory drop-down menu 608, the program presents an event description610 drop-down menu. The description drop-down menu 610 presents variousdescriptions corresponding to the selected category. Once the userselects a description of the event, the program presents a detaildrop-down menu 612 if there are details associated with the descriptionchosen by the user. If there are not details associated with thedescription chosen by the user, the program activates a save button sothat the user can save the new event information. The program alsoactivates the save button when the user selects detail information fromthe detail drop-down menu 612.

Selecting the delete selected event menu item of the context menu 596causes the program to remove the selected event from the patient'srecord. The program also automatically removes the row of the eventtimeline table 582 and one of the event category tables corresponding tothe event.

Once an event is entered into the event timeline table 582, the programautomatically associates the event with one of the five event categorytables, depending on which category the user selects in the add newevent form 598 when initially submitting event information. As explainedbelow in greater detail, specific events can be plotted in any of thecharts described above concurrently with lab result information.

The vital signs tab 512 is illustrated in FIG. 41. The tab 512 presentsthree tables, including a ventilator table 614, a weight table 616, anda maximum temperature table 618. The ventilator table 614 displaysinformation associated with ventilator settings and measurements when apatient is on the ventilator. Ventilator settings are always recordedalong with a particular blood gas sample, therefore the programgenerates a new row in the ventilator table 614 whenever new blood gaslab results are submitted to the program.

There is one row of information in the ventilator table 614 for eachblood gas lab result received, wherein the information includes allventilator settings and measurements that occur for a specific patientand the rows are presented in reverse chronological order. The rows aredivided into columns including a date/time column that indicates thedate and time of the blood gas sample and associated ventilator reading;a collected column that identifies whether the ventilator value has beenentered, has been verified to contain no valid data, or has beenverified and entered; a CBP column; a systolic column for indicating asystolic blood pressure reading; a diastolic column for indicating adiastolic blood pressure reading; an FiO2 column; an MAP column forindicating a mean airway pressure; a hi frequency column for indicatingthat the ventilator is set to a high frequency mode; and a conventioncolumn for indicating that the ventilator is set to a conventionfrequency mode.

The user adds, edits, and deletes information from the ventilator table614 using a ventilator context menu 620. The add/edit ventilatorsettings context menu item enables the user to add ventilator settingsand measurements to a row of the ventilator table 614 selected by theuser. When the user selects a row of the table 614, that row is entirelyhighlighted in blue. When the user activates the context menu 620 andselects the add/edit ventilator values menu item, the program presents acollect ventilator values entry form 622, as illustrated in FIG. 42. Theprogram presents the form 622 with data fields corresponding to date624, time 626, MRN 628, and account number 630, wherein these datafields are pre-filled with information for the selected patient, visit,and ventilator row date and time. Furthermore, those fields areread-only and cannot be modified by the user.

If there is no ventilator data associated with a blood gas lab result,the user checks a no data checkbox 632. This will indicate that theblood gas lab result has been verified to have no associated ventilatordata,. as opposed to a blood gas lab result which hasn't had theventilator data entered yet.

The user enters information into FiO2 634, MAP 636, CVP 638, andarterial blood pressure systolic 640 and diastolic 642 fields directlyfrom the flow sheet data for the selected ventilator entry. The userindicates a vent mode from the vent mode drop-down menu 644 according tothe ventilator mode at the time the entry is recorded. The program savesthe data to the ventilator table 614 row when the user selects the savebutton, or discards the data when the user selects the cancel button.

The weight table 616 lists all weights recording during a particularpatient visit. There is one row of information in the weight table 616for each recorded weight, and each row is divided into columns ofinformation. A date/time column indicates a date and time that theweight was measured, while a weight column provides the measured weightin kilograms. The table includes all weight measurements that occur fora specific patient in reverse chronological order.

A weight table context menu 646 presents three context menu items,including add weight, edit weight, and remove weight menu items. The addweight context menu item enables the user to enter a new weightmeasurement to the weight table 616. When the user selects this menuitem, the program presents the weight entry form 648 illustrated in FIG.43. A date field 650 defaults to the current date, and the user maychoose a date by selecting the drop-down menu button associated with thedate field 650 and choosing a date from the drop-down menu. A time field652 defaults to the current time, and the user may enter any (properlyformatted) time value. A weight field 654 is left blank for the user tofill in, and an MRN field 656 is filled in by the program with themedical record number of the current patient. The MRN field is read-onlyand thus cannot be modified by the user. An account number field 658 isalso read-only, and contains the account number of thecurrently-selected visit. When the user has completed the form 648, heor she saves the information by selecting the save button or discardsthe information by selecting the cancel button. There is typically oneweight recorded for a twenty-four hour period, although the programenables the user to submit patient weight information at any frequency.

The edit weight menu item of the weight context menu 646 enables theuser to change a previously submitted weight measurement. This menu itemis row specific, so the user must select a specific row of the weighttab 616 before activating the context menu 646 and choosing this item.When the user has selected a row and chosen the edit weight context menuitem, the program presents the weight entry form 648, described above,populated with the data from the selected row of the weight table 616.The user can then modify one or more of the date 650, time 652, andweight 654 fields and save or discard the information as explainedabove.

The remove weight menu item of the weight context menu 646 enables theuser to remove a previously submitted weight record from the weighttable 616. This menu item is row specific, so the user must choose a rowof the table 616 before activating the context menu 646 and choosingthis item. When the user selects a row and chooses the remove weightmenu item, the program requests a confirmation from the user in aconventional manner and removes the row of information from the table616 if the user confirms the removal request.

The maximum temperature table 618 lists all patient temperaturesrecorded during a particular patient visit in reverse chronologicalorder. There is one row of information in the table 618 for eachrecorded temperature, and each row is divided into several columns. Adate/time column provides the date and time the temperature wasmeasured, and a temperature column indicates a measured temperature indegrees Celsius.

A maximum temperature table context menu 660 presents three context menuitems, including add temperature, edit temperature, and removetemperature menu items. The add temperature context menu item enablesthe user to enter a new temperature measurement to the maximumtemperature table 618. When the user selects this menu item, the programpresents the temperature entry form 662 illustrated in FIG. 44. A datefield 664 defaults to the current date, and the user may choose a dateby selecting a drop-down menu and choosing a date from the drop-downmenu. A time field 666 defaults to the current time, and the user mayenter any (properly formatted) time value. A temperature field 668 isleft blank for the user to fill in, and an MRN field 670 is filled in bythe program with the medical record number of the current patient. TheMRN field 670 is read-only and thus cannot be modified by the user. Anaccount number field 672 is also read-only, and contains the accountnumber of the currently-selected visit. When the user has completed theform 662, he or she saves the information by selecting the save buttonor discards the information by selecting the cancel button. Typicallythe highest temperature for a twenty-four hour period is recorded,although the program enables the user to submit patient temperatureinformation at any frequency.

The edit temperature item of the maximum temperature context menu 660enables the user to change a previously submitted temperaturemeasurement. This menu item is row specific, so the user must select aspecific row of the maximum temperature table 618 before activating thecontext menu 660 and choosing this item. When the user has selected arow and chosen the edit temperature context menu item, the programpresents the temperature entry form 662, described above, populated withthe data from the selected row of the maximum temperature table 618. Theuser can then modify one or more of the date 664, time 666, andtemperature 668 fields and save or discard the information as explainedabove.

The remove temperature item of the maximum temperature context menu 660enables the user to remove a previously submitted temperature recordfrom the maximum temperature table 618. This menu item is row specific,so the user must choose a row of the table 618 before activating thecontext menu 660 and choosing this item. When the user selects a row andchooses the remove temperature menu item, the program requests aconfirmation from the user in a conventional manner and removes the rowof information from the table 618 upon receiving a user confirmation.

The reports tab

The reports tab 414 is illustrated in FIG. 45 and contains a list ofreports from various departments associated with the selected visit andpatient. These reports are typically text-based electronic documents andclinical evaluations. The reports are stored in the hospital informationsystem (HIS), and the program enables the user to select and view thedocuments via a user interface generated by the program. The reports tab414 presents two nested tabs, including a general information tab 674and a report tab 676.

The general information tab 674 includes a table 678 of reports that canbe displayed according to department or report date. When the userselects a department radio button 680 an associated drop-down menu 682provides a list of all departments that have provided one or morereports for the selected patient's visit. When the user selects adepartment from the department drop-down menu 682, the table 678displays a list of all reports provided by the selected departmentduring the patient's visit.

When the user selects a report date radio button 684, an associateddrop-down menu 686 provides a list of all dates in which reports weregenerated. When the user selects a particular date from the datedrop-down menu 686, the table 678 displays a list of all reportsprovided on the selected date. The user views a particular report byselecting the report from the list of reports in the table 678,activating a context menu 688, and selecting a view selected report menuitem. This causes the reports tab 414 to switch to the nested report tab676 which displays the selected report, as illustrated in FIG. 46.

The discharge and follow up tabs

The discharge tab 416 presents patient information associated with thedischarge of the patient from the hospital, and the follow up tabpresents patient information associated with follow up visits orcontacts with the patient. The information in these tabs may bepresented in a manner similar to that of the tabs described above.

The Research View

Referring to FIG. 47, the research view presents a top-level interface700 that enables users to set up and manage research studies. Theinterface 700 allows only users with the role of system administrator toenter or change data associated with the management of research studies.Each member of a study, however, is allowed to submit informationpertaining to that study. The interface 700 is launched when the userselects an add new study menu item of the study menu, as explainedbelow. The illustrated research view interface 700 includes varioustabs, wherein each tab relates to a separate interface element. The tabsinclude study setup 702, members 704, patients 706, comments 708, andparameters 710 tabs.

The study setup tab 702 is illustrated in FIG. 47 and presents aresearch form for setting up a new research study. A new research studymust be set up and saved before research team members can be added,patients can be enrolled, or any other detailed information can besubmitted about the study. The study setup tab 702 provides generalinformation about the study. A study type drop-down menu 712 presentsvarious study type options, including quality assurance/qualityimprovement (QA/QI), clinical program, research exempt, and researchnon-exempt menu items. A study status drop-down menu 714 presentsvarious study status options, including active, inactive, pending, andclosed menu items. An enrollment status drop-down menu 716 presentsvarious enrollment options, including active, inactive, and closed. Thestudy type 712, study status 714, and enrollment status 716 drop-downmenus are required data fields, therefore the user must choose an itemfrom each of these menus to set up a new study.

A section labeled “IRB Detail” 718 includes various data fields forreceiving institutional review board (IRB) information if the researchstudy has IRB approval. Within the IRB detail section 718 is a subjectidentifiers section 720 which defines what patient-specific informationcan be provided on reports. If all patient information can be provided,the user selects an “All” radio button 722. If no patient informationcan be provided, the use selects a “None” radio button 724. If onlycertain pieces of patient information can be provided, the user selectsa “Some” radio button 726 and then checks the specific pieces ofinformation that will be provided in a list 728 of possible pieces ofinformation. A section titled “Project Info” 730 and a section titled“Project Detail” 732 each include various data fields for receivinginformation specific to the project. The user stores the submittedinformation and closes the window by selecting the save button, ordiscards the information and closes the window by selecting the cancelbutton.

The members tab 704 is illustrated in FIG. 48, wherein the tab generallypresents a list of members of a study and enables the user to add andremove study members. Only designated members of a study may view studyinformation or enter patient study data. Users must have a system useraccount and must be added to the study by a system administrator tobecome members of a selected study. As illustrated in FIG. 48, themembers tab 704 presents a table 734 of members of the study along withvarious pieces of information pertaining to each member. A user namecolumn 736 presents the study member's name; a primary investigatorcolumn 738 presents a checkbox that is checked if the member is aprimary investigator of the study; a coordinator column 740 presents acheckbox that is checked if the member is a study coordinator; asub-investigator column 742 presents a checkbox that is checked if themember is a study sub-investigator; and an inactive column 744 presentsa checkbox that is checked if the member is no longer an active memberof the study.

A context menu 746 is associated with the table 734 and includes twomenu items: an “Add A Member to This Study” menu item and a “Delete ThisMember from the Study” menu item. When the user selects the “Add AMember to This Study” menu item the program presents a new study memberform 748 illustrated in FIG. 49. Using the form 748, the user scrollsthrough a list of system users and adds a user to the study by selectingthe user and then selecting an ok button. Newly-added study members aregiven the default role of sub-investigator, but the user can change themember's role by selecting another role from the possible check boxes inthe table 734 of study members.

To delete a member from the list of study members, the user must firstselect the member from the table 734 of study members and then activatethe context menu 746. When the context menu 746 appears, the userselects the “Delete This Member from the Study” menu item. The programrequests a confirmation from the user in a traditional manner, and whenthe user confirms the request the program removes the selected memberfrom the study and from the study members table 734. If the user desiresto maintain a record that a particular member was part of the study atone time, the user checks the appropriate box in the inactive column 744as opposed to deleting the member entirely from the study.

The patients tab 706 is illustrated in FIG. 50, wherein the patients tab706 generally enables the user to add and remove patients from a study,and to update study patient information. The tab 706 presents a studypatients table 750 with one or more rows of information, wherein eachrow includes information about a particular patient. Once a patient isadded to a study, that patient is assigned a non-traceable patientidentification number 752. The program only allows a systemadministrator to refer back to a study patient's identificationinformation, such as name and medical record number, after enrollment ina research study. In addition to the identification number 752, each rowof patient information includes an enrollment date 754, which is thedate the patient was enrolled in the study; an inactive checkbox 756,which is checked if the patient is no longer active in the study; anexcluded checkbox 758, which is checked if the patient has been excludedfrom the study after enrollment; and an expired checkbox 760, which ischecked if the patient has expired after enrollment in the study.

A patients context menu 762 presents four menu items that are related tothe study patients table 750, and generally enable the user to enrollpatients in and remove patients from the study, change patients'enrollment date, and view patient identifiable information.

An “Add A Patient To This Study” menu item 764 enables the user toenroll a patient in a research study. When the user selects this menuitem 764, the program presents a patient search form as illustrated inFIG. 57. The patient search form receives one or more search parametersfrom the user and performs a search of the entire patient databaseaccording to the one or more parameters. The user selects a patient froma list of patients, then selects an open button to enroll the selectedpatient to the study. When the user selects a patient, the programassigns the non-traceable identification number 752 to the patient. Oncethe patient is enrolled in the program, the user can change thepatient's status by selecting one of the status checkboxes 756,758,760.The patient search form may also be launched from the menu toolbar 56,as explained below.

A “Delete This Patient From The Study” menu item 766 enables the user toremove a patient from the research study. The user must select a patientlisted in the study patient table 750 before activating the context menu766 and selecting this menu item 766. When the user requests that aspecific patient be removed from the research study, the programpresents a confirmation request (not shown) in a conventional manner. Ifthe user confirms the removal action, the program removes the patientfrom the study and from the study patients table 750. If the userdesires to maintain a record that a patient was previously an activestudy member, the user selects an appropriate status checkbox756,758,760 as opposed to removing the patient from the study.

A “Change Enroll Date for This Patient” menu item 768 enables the userto change the date on which patients are enrolled in the study. When theuser selects this menu item 768, the program presents a changeenrollment date form 770 as illustrated in FIG. 51. The user changes thepatient's enrollment date by entering a new date in a date field 772 andselecting the okay button. The enrollment date of the selected patientis then updated in the study patients table 750.

A “View Study Patient Information” menu item 774 enables the user toview identification information of study patient. As explained above,when a patient is enrolled in a study the program assigns the patient anon-traceable identification number 752 for privacy purposes. When theuser selects the “View Study Patient Information” menu item 774 theprogram retrieves and presents the patient's actual identificationinformation. This is the only way for the user to trace a patientidentification number 752 to a particular patient. When the user selectsthis menu item 774, the program presents a study patient informationform 776 as illustrated in FIG. 52. The form 776 associates theanonymous identification number 752 of each patient enrolled in thestudy with the patient's actual medical record number 778, name 780, andstudy enrollment date 782. The program allows only users with the roleof system administrator to select this menu item 774 and view the form776.

The comments tab 708 is illustrated in FIG. 53, wherein the tab 708generally receives, logs, and tracks action items, issues, andresponsibilities associated with a study. The tab 708 presents a commenttable 784 with several rows of information, wherein each row relates toa particular comment and includes various columns of information. A datecolumn 786 indicates the date on which the study comment was logged; acomment column 788 presents a description of the study comment or item;a status column 780 provides a status of the comment or item such ascompleted, pending or on hold; a responsible column 782 provides thename of the user designated as primarily responsible for the comment oritem; and a priority column 784 lists the relative priority of thecomment or item, such as low, mid, or high.

A study comments context menu 796 generally enables users to add newcomments, edit existing comments, and remove comments. When the userselects an “Add New Comment” menu item 798 the program presents a newcomment form 800 as illustrated in FIG. 54. The new comment form 800presents several data fields for receiving detailed information aboutthe comment from the user. A date drop-down menu 802 indicates a date onwhich the comment was logged or the issue was submitted by the user,wherein the user may type the date directly into the menu field orchoose a date from a drop-down menu. The user chooses a status of thecomment or issue by selecting a status option from a status drop-downmenu 804, wherein the menu items (not shown) include completed, pending,and on-hold. The user indicates a priority of the comment or issue byselecting a priority option from a priority drop-down menu 806, whereinpriority options include low, mid, and high.

A responsible drop-down menu 808 of the new comment form 800 enables theuser to indicate a user who is primarily responsible for the comment orissue. The user may do so in either of two ways: first, the user maytype the name of a user directly into the field; second, the user mayselect the button 810 labeled “. . . ” to invoke the form 748illustrated in FIG. 49 and choose a user via the form 748. In thecomments field 812 the user types any comment, issue, statusdescription, etcetera. This entry is displayed as the comment 788 in thestudy comments table 784. The user closes the form and stores the formdata by selecting the save button, or closes the form without saving anyof the information by selecting the cancel button.

When the user selects the “Edit Selected Comment” menu item 814 theprogram presents the new comment form 800 illustrated in FIG. 54 anddescribed above. Before selecting this menu item 814, however, the usermust select a row of information in the study comments table 784. Theprogram presents the form 800 populated with comment information fromthe selected row. The user may then update any of the fields of the form800 and store the saved information by selecting the save button.

A “Remove Selected Comment” menu item 816 enables the user to delete anentire row of information from the study comments table 784. To delete arow of information from the table 784, the user selects the row,activates the context menu 784, and selects this menu item 816. When theuser requests that a specific row of information be removed from thetable 784, the program presents a confirmation request (not shown) in aconventional manner. If the user confirms the removal action, theprogram removes the row of information from the table 816.

The parameters tab 710 is illustrated in FIG. 55 and enables the user toconfigure research study specific information for entry into theprogram's database. Research studies often require special informationto be recorded that is not part of the research dataset described above.An example of such information is specific family medical historyinformation or other data that is required for the research study butthat is not part of the patient's normal medical information. Theparameters tab 710 enables users to build a custom form for a study anddefine the data fields, controls, and questions that will appear on theform. This custom form can then be accessed via the studies tab 310 ofthe patient view interface 310.

The Menu Toolbar

The menu toolbar 56 is presented as part of one or more of the viewsdescribed above and generally presents the same set of menus in eachview. The menu toolbar is presented as part of the department viewinterface 34, the patient view interface 300, and the visit viewinterface 400. Particular reference will be made to the menu toolbar 56as illustrated in FIG. 56 as part of the department view interface 34,with the understanding that when presented as part of other interfaces,the toolbar performs substantially the same function.

The patient menu 900 of the menu toolbar 56 includes a patient lookup902 menu item. When the user selects the patient lookup menu item 902the program presents a patient search form 904 as illustrated in FIG.57. The patient search form 904 enables the user to search for a patientor group of patients according to one or more search parameters, selecta patient, and open the patient view for the selected patient. Theillustrated form 904 includes two search parameters fields: medicalrecord number 906 and patient name 908. The user may submit a portion ofa name, such as the first one, two, or three letters of the last name,and program will retrieve all patients who last names begin with thesubmitted letter or letters. If the user submits both a medical recordnumber and a search name, the program will only search for the patientmedical record number.

The form 904 presents search results in the form of a search resulttable 910 comprising one or more rows of patient information. Each rowpertains to a single patient, and the rows are divided into columns forthe patient's medical record number, name, birth date, and sex. A searchbutton initiates a search of the program database according to one orboth of the search parameters 906,908; an open button opens the patientview of a patient selected from the patient search results table 910;and a not found button opens an HIS search form (not shown), whichallows the user to search the HIS 20 b for information about thepatient. If the patient is found in the HIS 20 b, the user then has theoption to view visits, verify that the patient is the one being sought,and extract patient information from the HIS 20 b to the local database20 e.

The studies menu 912 of the menu toolbar 56 is associated with theresearch view, described above. The studies menu presents four menuitems, including new study 914, edit study 916, view my studies 918, andview all studies 920.

The add new study menu item 914 can be selected only by a user with therole of system administrator. When the user selects this menu item, theprogram presents a blank new research form 700, illustrated in FIG. 47.The process of setting up a new research study using the form 700 isdescribed in detail above.

The edit study menu item 916 also can only be selected by a user withthe role of system administrator. When the user selects this menu item916, the program presents a study list form 922 as illustrated in FIG.58. The user selects a study from the list of studies presented in theform 922, and selects an open button to display the research study form700. The user can then edit study information via the research studyform 700.

The view my studies menu item 918 can be selected by any user, andcauses the program to present the study list form 922 illustrated inFIG. 58. However, when the user invokes the study list form 922 via theview my studies menu item 918, the form 922 only includes studies ofwhich the user is a member. The user can then select a particular studyand select the open button to invoke the research study form 700 to viewinformation relating to the study. The study information will beread-only, such that the user will not be able to modify informationcontained therein.

The view all studies menu item 920 can be selected by any user andcauses the program to present the study list form 922 illustrated inFIG. 58, wherein the form 922 presents a list of all research studies,irrespective of the user's membership in any study. When the study listform 922 is invoked via the view all studies menu item 920, the usercannot retrieve any further information about a particular study, but islimited only to viewing the list of studies presented in the form 922.

The charts menu 924 of the menu toolbar 56 enables the user to createcharts of various pieces of information that are used by physicians andother care givers to correlate and evaluate leading indicators, events,interventions, and results. This is accomplished by charting events andinterventions on the same graphs as indicators and results are charted.The charts menu 924 includes menu items select events to chart 926,create chart with normal range 928, and create multiple value run chart930.

The select events to chart menu item 926 enables the user to select oneor more events from a plurality of events to chart on a graphconcurrently with one or more indicators or results. FIG. 59 provides anexemplary chart 932 with complications, procedures and pulmonary eventscharted on the same graph 934 as hematology lab results. Variousmilestone points 936 are plotted along the bottom of the graph 934,wherein the milestone points 936 are preferably presented in differentcolors. A legend 938 within the chart 932 defines these points to becomplications, procedures, and pulmonary events according to color. Eachmilestone point 936 represents an exact time that a corresponding eventoccurred relative to the hematology lab results. Thus, a user canquickly and easily correlate a particular hematology lab result—or agroup of results—to a particular complication, procedure, or both.

The chart 932 also enables the user to quickly review the details ofeach complication, procedure and pulmonary event represented by themilestone points 936. The user does this by placing an on-screen pointeror cursor over a particular milestone 936, wherein the program displaysa description 940 of the event. In the illustrated example, the user canquickly and easily infer that there is a relationship between a suddendrop in platelets 942 and the hematological event 944 of bleedingrequiring operation.

When the user selects the select events to chart menu item 926 theprogram presents a select events to chart form 946, illustrated in FIG.60. The events that will be charted correspond to the selectedcategories for a patient as described above in relation to the eventsnested tab 510 of the post operative tab 412 of the visit view interface400, as illustrated in FIG. 39. The user selects one or more of theevent categories from the form 946 to include in the chart 932 andselects an okay button to apply the selection or selections. Events fromthe selected event categories 948 are then charted in all graphs thatthe program presents. The user may discontinue this function byselecting the select events to chart menu item 926 and deselecting anyevent categories 948 that were previously selected.

The create chart with normal range menu item 928 enables the user tocompare a patient's laboratory test results to normal test values. Manylaboratory results are communicated from the laboratory with values thatthe laboratory considers to be normal ranges for a particular patient'sage, weight, and other factors—collectively referred to herein as thepatient profile. The program is operable to graph each numericlaboratory result type that is returned with the normal range when theuser selects the create chart with normal range menu item 928. Anexemplary chart 950 with a normal range indicator 952 is illustrated inFIG. 61. The chart 950 depicts the patient's blood chemistry potassiumlevel (K) against the normal range as determined by the lab for patientswith similar characteristics. The normal range indicator 952 is a shadedregion that enables the user to quickly and easily compare the patient'sactual measured potassium level 954 with the normal range over a periodof time, such that a physician can quickly determine when and by howmuch the patient's potassium level was abnormally high and abnormallylow. Events and interventions, as described above, can also be plottedin a normal range chart.

When the user selects the create chart with normal range menu item 928,the program presents a range chart selection form 956 as illustrated inFIG. 62. The user selects a type of test from a test type drop-down menu958, which limits the options in a lab value to chart drop-down menu 960to only those associated with the selected test type. The user thenselects the lab value to be charted from the lab value to chartdrop-down menu 960. The program then generates a chart, such as chart950, with the selected test result in normal range.

A table of numeric lab tests is presented in FIG. 63, wherein each labtest is associated with a test type 962, a first indicator 964indicating whether a range chart may be generated for the test, and asecond indicator 966 indicating whether a multiple value run chart maybe generated for the test.

A multiple value run chart plots lab results of different types on asingle graph. An exemplary multiple value run chart 968 is illustratedin FIG. 64, which simultaneously plots two blood gas lab results—HCO3and PCO2, one chemistry lab result—CO2, and two hematology testresults—WBC and Hgb. The program can include any numeric lab result in amultiple value run chart, and can simultaneously plot up to five labresults of different lab types.

A normalize button 970 below the chart 968 enables the user to normalizethe plotted values to more easily depict relationships between labresults. When the user selects the normalize button 970 the programeliminates disparities between lab test values by recalculating each asa relative change around a value of one. This result is illustrated inFIG. 65. The normalized chart 972 is especially helpful forsimultaneously plotting lab values that are quite different, such as phresults, where a normal result may be 7.4, but a platelet result istypically around 300. Events and interventions, explained above, canalso be displayed simultaneously in a normalized chart.

When the user selects a create multiple value run chart menu item 930,the program presents a run chart selection form 974 illustrated in FIG.66. To chart up to five lab results on a single graph, the user selectsa first test type from a first test type drop down menu 976 and acorresponding lab result from a first lab value drop-down menu 978; asecond type from a second test type drop down menu 980 and acorresponding lab result from a second lab value drop-down menu 982; andso forth up to a fifth type from a fifth test type drop down menu 984and a corresponding lab result from a fifth lab value drop-down menu986. Once the user has selected two or more test types and lab values,he or she selects a view chart button 988 to cause the program topresent the chart including the selected test results.

The reports menu 990 presents one or more reports menu items (not shown)that, when selected, generated reports relating to the other aspects ofthe program such as, for example, the rounds report 168 illustrated inFIG. 9.

The options menu item 78 enables the user to choose one or more optionsassociated with program, such as the lab lookback period. When the userchooses a lab lookback period menu item 992 of the options menu 78, theprogram generates a lab lookback form 994 as illustrated in FIG. 67. Theform 994 allows the user to determine the number of days back labs areviewed when any view current clinical data items are selected. A defaultlookback period is seven days, but the user can change the lookbackperiod to any integer value. If the user selects a set as defaultcheckbox 996, the value currently listed in the lookback data field 998becomes the default lookback period. If the set as default checkbox 996is not selected, the lookback value 998 is only used for the currentsession.

1. A computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program fororganizing and presenting patient information, the computer programcomprising: an inpatients code segment for presenting a list of patientswho are currently receiving services at a health providing facility; aprocedures code segment for presenting a list of patients who have hador will have a medical procedure performed on a first user-designateddate; a clinics code segment for presenting a list of patients who havehad or will have a non-surgical appointment on the first user-designateddate; and a patient overview code segment for retrieving and presentingpatient overview information relating to a particular patient when auser selects the patient from any one of the lists of patients andrequests the overview information.
 2. The computer-readable medium asset forth in claim 1, wherein the health providing facility is selectedfrom the group consisting of a hospital, a doctor's office, a nursinghome, an outpatient facility, and a dentist's office.
 3. Thecomputer-readable medium as set forth in claim 1, wherein the inpatientscode segment automatically adds patients to the list who begin receivingservices from the health providing facility and automatically removespatients from the list who no longer receive services from the facility.4. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 1, wherein theprocedures code segment further retrieves and presents information abouta particular procedure of a particular patient when the user selects theprocedure and requests the procedure information.
 5. Thecomputer-readable medium as set forth in claim 4, wherein the procedurescode segment enables the user to add, remove, and modify the procedureinformation only if the user has been assigned a particularpredetermined role.
 6. The computer-readable medium as set forth inclaim 5, wherein the role is chosen from the group consisting of systemadministrator, administrator, and doctor.
 7. The computer-readablemedium as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a rounds code segmentfor presenting a list of patients who are included in the rounds of aparticular medical team or a particular doctor.
 8. The computer-readablemedium as set forth in claim 7, wherein the rounds code segmentautomatically adds patients to the list upon being assigned to the teamor doctor and automatically removes patients from the list upon requestby a member of the team or the doctor and upon being discharged from thehospital.
 9. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 8,wherein the rounds code segment automatically adds patients to the listby receiving round information from a hospital information system. 10.The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 9, wherein the roundscode segment enables a user to define a team and to add patients to therounds of that team.
 11. The computer-readable medium as set forth inclaim 1, further comprising a consults code segment for presenting alist of patients with whom the user is associated only as a consultingphysician, and for enabling the user to add patients to the list andremove patients from the list.
 12. The computer-readable medium as setforth in claim 11, wherein the consults code segment further presents alist of patients with whom a team is associated as a consulting team.13. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 1, furthercomprising a daily schedule code segment for presenting a daily scheduleof the user corresponding to the first user-selected date.
 14. Thecomputer readable medium as set forth in claim 1, further comprising acatheterization conference code segment for presenting a list ofpatients who are scheduled to be presented for a catheterizationconference on a second user-selected date.
 15. The computer readablemedium as set forth in claim 14, further comprising a code segment forgenerating a first interactive user interface tool for enabling the userto choose the first user-selected date, and for generating a secondinteractive user interface tool for enabling the user to choose thesecond user-selected date.
 16. The computer-readable medium as set forthin claim 1, wherein the patient overview information includes medicalhistory, demographic, imaging, studies, epidemiology, and geneticinformation.
 17. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 1,further comprising a patient clinical information code segment forretrieving and presenting a particular patient's clinical informationwhen the user selects the patient from any of the lists and requests theclinical information, wherein the clinical information includesinformation about the patient's current inpatient visit.
 18. Thecomputer-readable medium as set forth in claim 17, wherein the clinicalinformation includes information from a period that includes the currentdate and begins a user-determined number of days prior to the currentdate.
 19. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 1, whereinthe code segments present the lists of patients simultaneously.
 20. Thecomputer-readable medium as set forth in claim 1, wherein each codesegment enables a user to organize its respective list of patientsaccording to service, team, or attending physician.
 21. Thecomputer-readable medium as set forth in claim 1, wherein the procedurescode segment automatically updates the list of patients who have had orwill have a surgical procedure by receiving procedure information from ahospital information system, and the clinics code segment automaticallyupdates the list of patients who have had or will have a non-surgicalappointment by receiving procedure information from a hospitalinformation system.
 22. A computer-readable medium encoded with acomputer program for organizing and presenting patient information, thecomputer program comprising: an inpatients code segment for creating aninpatients user interface window that presents a list of patients whoare currently admitted to the hospital and assigned to a particularhospital department, and for automatically adding patients to the listwho are admitted to the department and automatically removing patientsfrom the list who are discharged from the department; a procedures codesegment for creating a procedures user interface window that presents alist of patients within the department who have had or will have asurgical procedure performed on a first user-designated date, and forretrieving and presenting detailed information about a particularprocedure of a particular patient when the user selects the procedure; aclinics code segment for creating a clinics user interface window thatpresents a list of patients within the department who have had or willhave a non-surgical appointment on the first user-designated date; arounds code segment for creating a rounds user interface window thatpresents a list of patients who are included in the rounds of aparticular medical team or particular doctor, and for automaticallyadding patients to the list upon being assigned to the team or doctorand automatically removing patients from the list upon being removed bya member of the team or the doctor and upon being discharged from thehospital; a consults code segment for creating a consults user interfacewindow that presents a list of patients with whom the user or the user'steam is associated only as a consulting physician or team, and forenabling the user to add patients to the list and remove patients fromthe list; and a patient overview code segment that retrieves andpresents patient overview information relating to a particular patientwhen a user selects the patient from any one of the lists of patientsand requests the overview information.
 23. The computer readable mediumas set forth in claim 22, further comprising a daily schedule codesegment for presenting a daily schedule activity window with the user'sschedule, wherein the schedule corresponds to the first user-selecteddate.
 24. The computer readable medium as set forth in claim 22, furthercomprising a catheterization conference code segment for creating acatheterization user interface window that presents a list of patientswho are scheduled to be presented for a catheterization conference on asecond user-selected date.
 25. The computer readable medium as set forthin claim 24, further comprising a code segment for generating a firstinteractive user interface tool for enabling the user to choose thefirst user-selected date, and for generating a second interactive userinterface tool for enabling the user to choose the second user-selecteddate.
 26. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 22, whereinthe procedures code segment further enables the user to add, remove, andmodify the procedure information only if the user has been assigned aparticular predetermined role.
 27. The computer-readable medium as setforth in claim 26, wherein the role is chosen from the group consistingof system administrator, administrator, and doctor.
 28. Thecomputer-readable medium as set forth in claim 22, wherein the patientoverview information includes medical history, demographic, imaging,studies,. epidemiology, and genetic information.
 29. Thecomputer-readable medium as set forth in claim 22, wherein the programretrieves and presents patient clinical information relating to aparticular patient when the user selects the patient from any of theuser interface windows and requests the clinical information, whereinthe clinical information includes information about the patient'scurrent inpatient visit.
 30. The computer-readable medium as set forthin claim 22, wherein the clinical information includes information froma period that includes the current date back a user-determined number ofdays.
 31. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 22, whereinthe code segments present the activity windows simultaneously.
 32. Acomputer-readable medium encoded with a computer program for organizingand presenting information relating to hospital patients, the computerprogram comprising: an inpatients code segment for creating aninpatients user interface window that presents a list of patients whoare currently admitted to the hospital and assigned to a particularhospital department, and for automatically adding patients to the listwho are admitted to the department and automatically removing patientsfrom the list who are discharged from the department; a procedures codesegment for creating a procedures user interface window that presents alist of patients within the department who have had or will have asurgical procedure performed on a first user-designated date, and forretrieving and presenting detailed information about a particularprocedure of a particular patient when the user selects the procedure; aclinics code segment for creating a clinics user interface window thatpresents a list of patients within the department who have had or willhave a non-surgical appointment on the first user-designated date; arounds code segment for creating a rounds user interface window thatpresents a list of patients who are included in the rounds of aparticular medical team or particular doctor, and for automaticallyadding patients to the list upon being assigned to the team or doctorand automatically removing patients from the list upon being removed bya member of the team or the doctor and upon being discharged from thehospital; a consults code segment for creating a consults user interfacewindow that presents a list of patients with whom the user or the user'steam is associated only as a consulting physician or team, and forenabling the user to add patients to the list and remove patients fromthe list; a catheterization conference code segment for creating acatheterization user interface window that presents a list of patientswho are scheduled to be presented for a catheterization conference on asecond user-selected date; a date-selection code segment for generatinga first interactive user interface tool for enabling the user to choosethe first user-selected date, and for generating a second interactiveuser interface tool for enabling the user to choose the seconduser-selected date; a patient overview code segment for retrieving andpresenting patient overview information relating to a particular patientwhen a user selects the patient from any one of the lists of patientsand requests the overview information; and a patient clinicalinformation code segment for retrieving and presenting a particularpatient's clinical information when the user selects the patient fromany of the lists and requests the clinical information, wherein theclinical information includes information about the patient's currentinpatient visit.
 33. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim32, wherein the activity windows and the user interface tools arepresented simultaneously.